Brand New Girlfriend
by MacKenzie Creations
Summary: Wirtten for the Choose Your Own Aurthor ficathon on Live Journal. All Humans in collage. A/D; A/B. Angel finds a new girlfirend. Complete. If there are enough requests, I will write a sequel.
1. AN

**_Author's Notes:_** Written for Choose Your Own Author ficathon deadline July 15. This was late in getting posted. Sorry to whoever I wrote it for. Instead of getting into a long reason as why this was late, I'm going to give the short version – computer problems. My** assignment was:**

**Characters/Pairings you want the story to focus in.** Buffy/Angel  
**Characters/Pairings you want in the story too. **Any character necessary for the story is fine!  
**Things you want:** All human fic would be awesome! Any timeline/setting is fine, but I've always adored college age Buffy and slightly older but not toooo older Angel for AU fics! Some objects to include – the police, a pizza, welcome mat, an iPod, black markers and a knapsack.  
**Things you don't want:** I'd prefer no Buffy/Spike except for reference purposes if it's necessary, not heavy angst although a little is fine. As long as Buffy/Angel are the end result I'm cool with how you get there!  
**Extras:** Any rating is fine! Nothing too dark or angst ridden!

**Warnings:** Some things are compleately made up for the purpose of the story. Such things are symptoms of a medical condition, a new drug, some other things that I didn't have time to research. So if you see something that wouldn't happen in real life, that's why. I did play around with the timing of Mid-terms and how long a semester/term is. Sorry about that. But When I started it, I had one thing in my mind and when I ended it, the timing was just all off. In this story E.S.P. and Physic foretelling of the future and Physic insight to certain things are real, even though it's all human. **CHARACTER DEATH.** Although it's not Buffy or Angel, it is one of Angel's close friends. I really tried not kill anybody off, but you know how it is when the characters tell you something and you try to go another way with it. It just doesn't work. Since it's a "hero's death", I hope it's not too angsty. Oh yeah, the main plot of the story was inspired by Steve Holy's "Brand New Girlfriend" song. Lyrics will be posted at the end for those who haven't heard the song so that nothing is given away.

**Thanks:** to the person who I wrote the fic for since you entrusted me to write your story and please forgive me for being so late with it. Thanks to Leni who ran the ficathon and also Beta'd the story.

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	2. Chapter 01

**Brand New Girlfriend**

**By: MacKenzie Creations**

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* * *

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**Chapter One**

* * *

"Doyle, is Angel here?" The pretty blonde asked as she walked into the mansion on Crawford Street that had been turned into the Alpha Kappa Lambda House. It was the only fraternity house that was off the University of California, Sunnydale campus.

Doyle, who lived here when he was at school, answered the young woman who had just entered, "Yes, Darla, he is. But he's in the middle of a tutoring session."

"Thanks," she said as she made her way to the room that the boys called "Study Hall". While tutoring sessions were usually held on campus, sometimes students wanted something in a more relaxed atmosphere. Alpha Kappa Lambda members had free use of the wing that housed their fraternity; but the tutors of the fraternity, Angel included, used this room for sessions with non-Greek students (as well as sessions with their "brothers".) The Study Hall was sound proofed so when the door was closed, no noise from the rest of the house would disturb the students inside.

Right now Angel was in there with one of his "brothers". The younger man had dyslexia and knew he would need help before he even applied for college. Darla didn't see the need to go to college; but Angel had expressed how impressed he was of this young man and his desire to succeed academically. He was determined to help his brother make good grades. It was mid-terms and the young man was struggling with his first paper for English. Angel was telling the boy some of the resources that he could use for the research.

"Angel, I know you're busy, so as soon as you can, I need to talk to you. I'll be in your room waiting," Darla said.

Angel knew that Darla didn't understand his tutoring duties that he volunteered for, but she would wait without complaint. However, there really wasn't anything for Angel to do other than do the research himself and that wouldn't help Steve. "Darla, I always have time for you." He turned to Steve and said, "Let me know when I need to proof the paper for you. I got all the books that you would need and I even got some websites for you to use. All you have to do is get the information and put it into your paper."

"You couldn't just tell me the information?" Steve asked with a frown on his face.

Angel smiled and said, "Nope. I probably shouldn't have done as much as I did. But there you go. I'll be in my room if you need me."

Steve watched as Darla and Angel left to go to the master bedroom. Steve knew that Angel was president of Alpha Kappa Lambda and assumed that was the reason that he got the master bedroom. What Steve didn't know was that the main reason behind such privilege was that the mansion belonged to Angel, and that it'd also been Angel who'd had the fraternity moved there his first year of college. Steve wondered if Angel really cared as little about his girlfriend sleeping around as he seemed to. He felt embarrassed when he remembered that just six weeks ago, he had slept with the slut. He wouldn't have if he hadn't been drunk, he tried to reason with himself. And he was hardly the only Alpha Kappa Lambda that she had slept with_. _He had seen her coming out of several of the other men's rooms when Angel wasn't around.

* * *

"Willow, I had the nicest dream last night," Buffy said dreamily as she and Willow walked to a table in the coffee café.

"Well, do tell," Willow said eagerly as she and her best friend sat down to have coffee before Buffy had to go to work.

"Well, you know how sometimes my dreams come true?" Willow nodded and Buffy continued, "Well, it felt like one of those dreams. And it was about my wedding, only I didn't recognize the groom. Well, in the dream I knew who he was, or I felt like I knew who he was. But when I woke up I had no idea who it was. He was the most handsomest man I have ever seen, though." Buffy grinned.

Willow grinned, "Well, maybe you will meet him soon. Hey! I have an idea, can you draw him?"

Buffy thought about it then the man's face went blurry in her mind's eye. "It's really weird, Will, if you hadn't asked me I might have been able to, but now, I can't remember what he looks like. Or enough to really draw him."

* * *

When Angel and Darla got to his room, Darla gently closed the door behind her. Angel noticed a bandage on the inside of her right elbow. "What happened to your arm?"

"Oh, that. I just got back from the doctor. They took blood," she replied as she started to pace. "Angel, you know how we have never been … um exclusive…"

Angel could tell that she was nervous and he thought he knew where she was headed with this line of questioning. He wasn't sure what he thought about it, so he just interrupted her, "Darla, are you telling me that you want to be exclusive?"

Darla stopped pacing and said, "No. That's not it. Angel, I could never be faithful to anyone. I like to have sex with who I want when I want. There is no way I can be with just one man. You know that."

Yes, Angel knew that. And to tell the truth, he wasn't sure he could be faithful either. But he would try if Darla wanted him to. "Darla, what are you trying to say then? This babbling isn't like you. You know you can tell me anything."

Darla knew he was right. They were best friends and had been ever since grade school. They were friends with benefits. Whenever one of them wanted sex and they didn't have anyone else, they went to each other. Of course it was usually Darla coming to Angel, but there were times when Angel went to Darla.

Angel knew that with the exception of two, maybe three, Darla had slept with all of the Alpha Kappa Lambda brothers. This was especially true of the party that got way out of control about six weeks ago. Angel had been with someone else that night, but he'd still been aware of Darla's whereabouts. For some reason, she'd wanted to find out how many men she could sleep with that night. It hadn't been like her, because, yes, Darla was the kind of woman who wouldn't think twice about engaging in a ménage à trois; but never before had she picked up more than three men in a single night.' Angel personally thought that someone who didn't really know Darla had slipped something into her drink. All they had to do was ask and she probably would have said yes. They didn't need to drug her.

"Angel, what I'm trying to say is that I want you to take a paternity test because I'm pregnant and I'm not sure if you are the father," Darla said in such a rush that Angel wasn't sure if he heard right.

Angel stood there dazed. She had just said that she had been to the doctor and they had taken blood and now she was saying that she was pregnant. Well, it made sense. Sooner or later their luck would run out. They had been having sex for ten years now, since they both were fifteen, and all along they'd been aware that nothing was one hundred percent certain to protect against STDs and pregnancy. That's why they both got checked regularly for STDs - which neither of them had ever gotten - and this was the first time that Darla had even told him that she thought she was pregnant.

Angel looked down at his hands as he sat down on the bed, "How far along are you?"

"The doctor said I was six weeks along. So I figured it happened at the last party or at least around that time."

Angel nodded. He was trying to remember the reason for the last party and couldn't. Lorne probably made up some reason like mid-way to mid-terms or something crazy like that. It could even had been a party to celebrate an A that some fraternity brother had gotten on a paper or test. The regular parties were Welcome Back, Mid-Term, End of Term, and any holidays that came during the term. But that was on Oct. 19. So there was no party set on that date. So it had to have been an impromptu party. Something that one of the guys had come up with. Probably Lorne, Doyle, or Spike. They were usually the ones organizing all of the extra parties.

"So will you take the test?" Darla asked nervously.

"Of course I will." Angel thought about it for a minute, "Darla, marry me."

"Angel. We just went over this -- I could never be faithful. I refuse to make a mockery of marriage like my parents did. They ended up hating each other even though they had the agreement that it was okay to have other lovers. You and I have been best friends since grade school. We tried the girlfriend/boyfriend thing back in high school and it didn't work out. So we decided that we would be friends with benefits until one of us finds someone who we could be faithful to. I'm not that person for you and there is no one on this earth that I could be faithful to." Darla seemed to have given this a lot of thought, "I'm sorry, Angel. I know your family's sense of propriety will require you to marry me if this baby is yours, but I can't. But if it is yours, I would love for you to be in his or her life. But I don't need anything else from you. I don't want to loose your friendship. I don't want us to become my parents. I would rather loose our sexual relationship and keep our friendship than loose you all together, Angel," Darla said softly, holding back tears.

"Darla, I know you are scared of marriage." Angel tried to reason with her, "But not all marriages are like your parents' was. Not all end that badly. Hell, not even all of them even end."

Darla smiled sadly, "Angel, I wish I could have the marriage that your parents have, but I know it's just not in the cards for me. I'm a Rockefeller. We don't get 'happily ever after'. It's something that I have come to terms with. I just don't know how to love someone like that. I'm too selfish. And love, real love is not selfish."

Deep down, Angel knew she was right. "Darla, I'm going to ask you something and I want the truth. Do you want the baby to be mine?"

"Angel, I always knew that you would be a wonderful father someday and just now when you asked me to marry you … and at this point we don't know who the father is, it just convinced me that you will be an awesome father, so out of everyone who might be the father, yes, I hope it's yours. Do you hope it's yours?"

"Well, I always wanted to have children someday. And if you would have asked me before you told me that you were pregnant, then I would have said not now. But now, yeah, I hope that it's mine." He paused, appearing to think something over, "And even if it's not, if the real father doesn't want to be in the picture, I'll be more than happy to fill his shoes."

"And what a fine job you will do too," Darla said smiling. "I, uh, when the doctor asked me about the father's medical history, I told him that I didn't know who the father was. I asked him if it was too early to find out. He took some DNA from the baby right there in the office. He said now we just need to get some DNA from the men who could be the father. No needles needed for you boys. Just a Q-tip and some spit."

Angel laughed. He had taken some criminal justice courses so he knew how they collected DNA from a suspect and thought it would be the same way. "Do you want to test everybody here now? Or wait until my test comes back?"

"We could wait until your test comes back. I mean you're the one I've had sex with the most, so you're the most likely man to be the father."

Angel nodded, "Where do I need to go?"

"My doctor said that he could do it in his office. And he also said that they just hired someone for this type of testing and they have all the equipment there so we can get the test results back the same day."

"Let's go," Angel said as he took Darla's hand and they walked out of his room.

* * *

"Buffy, glad you could make it. Susan called in sick. Thanks for taking her shift on your day off," the manager said as she walked in the back to punch in her time card. "Since you're covering for someone, you can eat free tonight."

"Thanks, Andy. I really appreciate that!"

"Hey, you're my hardest working waitress. I have to take care of you," Andy smiled. He knew that Buffy didn't want to ask her mom for money so he tried to help her out with free meals here and there when he could justify it to Outback Steakhouse HQ. Usually, meals were half price for employees but there were ways around that. Like when they worked on their day off and when they got ten compliments from customers to the manager on duty. Sometimes, though, that could take a month or longer since few people complimented their waitress when they talked to a manager. Buffy could use more than one free meal a month, so Andy always called her first when he needed extra help. He wished he could give her more hours and make her full time but she wouldn't hear of it. She insisted she had school and her studies only allowed her to work part time.

* * *

As it turned out, Angel was the father of Darla's baby. Angel took Darla to Outback Steakhouse for supper before they went back to the mansion.

A petite blonde young waitress approached them, "Hi, I'm Buffy. I'll be your server. What can I get you to drink?"

"Sweet Tea for me," Darla said, with an air about her.

"I'll take the same," Angel answered, more nicely than the woman had.

"Can I get you an appetizer?"

"Cheese fries," the woman said.

"Alright, I'll be right back with your drinks," Buffy said.

* * *

"Willow, you will never believe who I just met tonight!"

"Who?" Willow asked. Sometimes, Buffy would come in and tell her all about some famous person she had waited on.

"I met the man that I'm going to marry," Buffy said matter-of-factly.

"What? The dream groom?"

Buffy nodded, "It's going to come true, Wills. I just have to be patient. He's with someone else now, but I just have this feeling that I'm going to marry him one day. I can't explain it."

"You don't have to, Buff. Some women just know. I hope it will be that way with me," Willow smiled dreamily.

"I have to get some sleep," Buffy groaned. "I have an eight o'clock class."

"So do I. Good night, Buff."

"Good night, Wills."

* * *

**A/N: **If the formating is off or if you see a typo (a misspelled word, a period where a coma should be, etc.), please let me know so that I can try to fix it. It might be a while before I can fix it. Again I say, "Computer Problems". If you see the words Scene Divider, then I was supposed to place a Scene Divder there once I uploaded it here, please let me know what chapter and exactly where to find it so I can correct it just as soon as I can. For some reason, this website **_always_** removes my scene dividers even though I do every thing exactly as they say.


	3. Chapter 02

**Chapter Two**

* * *

The next week, Steve ran into the mansion and yelled out, "Hey, Angel! I got an A on the paper you helped me with! I've never gotten an A on an English paper before!"

Angel laughed. This was why he tutored people. "I knew you could do it, Steve. Now could you pass me those black markers? I'm making a flyer about the party tomorrow night."

"Sure, man! Here you go," Steve said as he handed Angel the sharpies that were at the other end of the table.

* * *

"Wills, I'm in trouble," Buffy groaned as she sat down on her bed. "I'm one point away from a D in History. If I don't make at least a B in all of my classes, I'll loose my scholarship. I don't know what to do."

"Well, you could go to your Guidance Counselor and ask for a tutor."

"I can't afford a tutor, Will."

Willow shook her head, "No, you don't have pay. It's a free service. The tutor will be someone who has taken the class. If I remember right, it's usually a graduate student. And sometimes they are doing it for service hours for some club or something. Just go ask. Now, before she leaves!"

"Alright, I'm going," Buffy said more upbeat. She ran to the Guidance Counselor's office.

* * *

"Miss Summers, what may I do for you?" Dr. Spangler asked.

"I need some help in History."

"Alright," Dr. Spangler took out a book of tutors and the profiles that they filled out and looked under History. "Let's see. Here's a real good tutor. He's a History Major and it says here that he does tutoring both on campus and at his fraternity house which is off campus. Which do you prefer?"

"It doesn't matter to me. I have a car, so I'll go there if I have to. I just need to make a B so that I can keep my scholarship."

"Alright, he says right here that he prefers to tutor at the Alpha Kappa Lambda house_**. **_It's on Crawford Street. You can't miss it. It's the only mansion on the street."

Buffy grinned, "Thanks."

"Wait a moment, I'll call over there and see when he wants to start." She picked up the phone and dialed a number. "Is Mr. MacKenzie there?"

"This is he," Angel said.

"Mr. MacKenzie, this is Dr. Spangler with the University, I have a student here who needs help with History. I was wondering if you could fit her into your schedule."

"Sure. You can send her on over and we can work out a schedule now if she wants."

Buffy saw the woman's face light up as she said, "Great. Thank you, Mr. MacKenzie."

"No problem," Angel said as he hung up the phone.

Dr. Spangler turned back to Buffy. "He said you could go over there now and work out a schedule with him. His name is Liam MacKenzie." She said as she looked back at the records to get his first name.

* * *

"Hi, is Liam here?" Buffy asked the man who answered the door. It was him. The man in her dream last week, the same she'd waited on while he dined with his date, but she didn't know his name.

"I'm Liam." He opened the door further. "You must be the person that Dr. Spangler sent over for help with History."

"That'd be me," Buffy said. "Oh, I'm Buffy."

While he remembered her name from the Outback a week ago, he didn't want to embarrass her. After all not every one had a photographic memory and he didn't like to brag about it. "Buffy, you can call me Angel. Everyone around here does. Let's go to the Study Hall so we can get a schedule set up."

"Ok," Buffy said as she followed him.

When they got there, the door was closed. Angel knocked on the door. "We've sound proofed the room, so when the door is closed, you can't hear what is going on outside the room. The only time the door is shut is when some one is studying," Angel explained as he opened the door and led Buffy inside, then he smiled when he saw who was in the room, "Or when Preacher is reading his Bible."

Preacher smiled, looked up, and closed his Bible, "I was just finishing up."

"Preacher, this is Buffy. Buffy, this is Rhett Mettlen, we call him Preacher because he's a theology major."

Preacher seemed to sense Buffy's covert amusement at his real name and shrugged charmingly. "My mom really liked Gone With The Wind and doesn't think much of my nickname. Last time she asked why I couldn't get these 'disrespectful frat boys' to use my Christian name, I said 'My dear-'"

"...I don't give a damn." Buffy grinned as she completed the famous line.

Preacher nodded in acknowledgement and cocked an eyebrow at Angel before leaving the room.

Angel rolled his eyes. He must have heard Preacher's story a hundred times; the guy always used it when a girl heard his name. Buffy looked truly amused, though; Angel couldn't help but notice how her whole face lit up when she smiled. "As I was saying before the interruption, we tend to knock when the door is closed. Sometimes people are in here to be alone." Angel had given this speech so many times that it came second nature to him. "I can work my schedule around yours. If you feel more comfortable in the Library or in your dorm, we do this there instead."

"No, that's alright," Buffy said. She started to say it was on her way to work, but then rethought that statement. For some reason she was suddenly embarrassed that she had to have a part time job. "When would be the best time?"

"Whenever's good for you. I'm open Mondays and Wednesdays after two and on Tuesdays and Thursdays from noon on. I don't have any classes on Fridays so anytime on Fridays. How much help do you need?"

"Well, I have to make a B or I'll say goodbye to my scholarship. Right now, I'm one point away from a D. So I'd say I need a lot." Buffy was hoping that she would be able to spend all that time with this awesome eye candy in front of her. This was quite literally the man of her dreams. Well, of the dreams for the past couple of weeks anyway.

Angel had been in charge of worse cases. In his experience, her grade could go to an A with just two hours a week, but he felt he wanted to see more of the young, beautiful woman in front of him. "Well, we could start off an hour a day, and then cut if we need to."

"Alright, how does … um … three o'clock sound?"

"Three o'clock Monday through Friday. Sounds great."

The half smile he was wearing made him look so good it should be illegal. "So when do we start?" Buffy asked, trying to keep herself from day-dreaming. Not with him right there, at least.

"We could start tomorrow or Monday."

"Monday's fine." It really wasn't her first choice; but Buffy didn't want to sound too eager.

As they walked out of Study Hall, Angel said, "We're having a party tomorrow night. You're more than welcome to come if you want." Before Buffy could answer he added, "Bring some of your friends along. That way you will know some people. The more the merrier." _Boy, do I sound like an idiot or what? _Angel couldn't understand why he was so nervous. He had never gotten nervous inviting people over for parties. But then, he thought, he hadn't needed to invite anyone for a long time. In the first place, he didn't really care who came to these parties, and second, there was never a formal invitation – if you'd heard about it and wanted to come, you could. They were for the whole school and even for some college aged people who weren't going to college. When Buffy smiled, Angel thought it made her look like an angel and he was determined to make her smile as much as possible.

"Thanks, that sounds like fun. Oh, I have this friend, but he's not a student. Could he come?"

"Sure. You can bring anybody you like as your date." Angel said, trying not sound disappointed as he noticed the tightness in his chest. Again he didn't understand why he reacted this way.

Buffy's smile widened, "Oh, Xander's not my date. Just one of my best friends. He's like a brother to me, really."

Angel couldn't help but smile in return. "Oh good. Because everyone needs a best friend. It's good that you have one," he babbled as he tried to cover up his obvious relief that she wasn't attached.

"Yeah." Buffy was greatly amused by now. "Everyone needs a best friend. I'm lucky to have two."

"Great! Bring them both." _And come as my date. No, you, idiot! You can't be that forward with her. She looks too innocent for that. Besides you're her tutor and you can't do that! Can we say, "Sexual Harassment"?_

"We'll be there," Buffy said.

As they walked to the front door, a group of people walked in. "Buffy, I'd like you to meet Spike, Dru and her sister, Cordelia, Doyle, Gunn, and Lorne." He pointed at each person as he introduced them. "Everyone, this is Buffy."

"Hey," Buffy said shyly.

Dru took Buffy's hand palm up and looked at it. "We're going to become good friends."

Buffy thought that the woman's voice sounded as if she were in another world. "I hope so," she responded politely.

Angel gave Dru a curious look. He would have to ask her about it later. He turned his head to Buffy and said, "I'll see you and your friends at seven tomorrow then?"

"Yeah. At seven. Thanks for inviting us," Buffy said.

As she was closing the door, behind her, she heard Spike say, "Is it true? Is Darla pregnant with your baby?"

"Yes, Spike, it's true," Angel said with a smile on his face. If he had known that Buffy had overheard Spike's question and his answer, he would have been worried. He wouldn't have been sure why he was worried, but he would have been worried.

Buffy knew it was just her dreams and her silly ESP feelings that made her heart break at what she heard. _Ok, so he's not the man that you're going to marry. He sounded too happy about becoming a father. He's in love with someone else, so what? He's your tutor and it sounds like he wants to be friends. And you could always use another friend. Maybe the dreams have been telling me that Angel will introduce me to the man I'm going to marry – Someday, I mean. I'm nowhere near ready for that serious of a relationship,_ she thought on the drive to work.

* * *

All the members of Alpha Kappa Lambda were in the big room - also known as either the TV Room or the Living Room. They all were sitting either on the floor or on a chair or couch. The T.V. was off and Angel was standing in front of the fireplace facing everyone, "First order of business. Three o'clock every afternoon, I have the Study Hall for a tutoring session," Angel watched as everyone nodded their head. "Second order of business, tomorrow is party day." Angel had to wait for the hoops and hollers to die down before continuing. "Preacher, you have your usual job. Don't let anyone who is drunk leave here – especially if they're under twenty-one. Most freshmen are eighteen, so if you think that they have drank any alcohol, put 'em up in a room." When Preacher nodded in agreement, Angel continued, "Lilah's going to be here. Watch her close. I don't want any drugs on the property. Watch out for Cordelia. She's going to be here too. Also, please keep an eye out for Darla. She is to have no alcohol what so ever and watch her drinks closely. I don't want anyone to spike her drink," Angel said as he looked pointedly at his best friend. Spike had gotten the nickname from spiking every one's drinks.

Preacher looked puzzled. "Angel, Darla is over twenty-one and she's not an alcoholic. Why do I have to make sure she doesn't drink?"

"Because, she's pregnant." The room, which had been quiet enough, suddenly became dead silent. "But that doesn't mean that she can't come to the parties and have fun."

Everyone was wearing a shocked look on their face.

One of the upper classmen, named Lindsey, asked, "Who's the father?"

"Or does she even know?" another added.

Most everyone – at least the ones who were not freshmen – knew that Angel and Darla were not exclusive, that they each knew the other had lovers whenever they please. So it was only those clueless freshmen who were further shocked at the baby's paternity being so calmly questioned and their president's even more calm reaction.

"Well she didn't at first. But I took a paternity test and it turns out I'm the father," Angel answered.

"Is this a good thing for you, Angel?" one of the other upper classmen asked.

Angel grinned, nodded and said, "It's unexpected, but, yes, it's good. But we are both worried that someone will spike her drinks." With her reputation, someone always tried to. "So we want only Preacher to fix her drinks and if she puts a drink down and leaves it, she is to get a brand new drink." Everyone nodded their heads in agreement, Lindsey in particular. He would try his best to look after the blond who had captured his heart. He knew that he could never have her, she was too much of a free spirit. But then again that's what he loved about her. Darla didn't believe in one lover. Well, neither did he. As long as she loved him as well, he would be happy.

* * *

When Buffy came home looking uncharacteristically bummed, Willow was worried. "What's wrong?"

"Oh nothing. Just that the man of my dream – latterly - is in love with another woman and she is having his baby."

"Buffy, I hate to say this, but…"

"I know, Will. They were just dreams." Buffy interrupted. "I just can't help but feel as though I've lost someone who I never even met. Silly, huh?"

"That's not what I was going to say," Willow sighed. "Buffy, you know when your dreams are trying to tell you something. And I believe that these dreams have been like the others that have come true – both good and bad. You don't have to be in love with someone to make a baby, Buffy. They might have already broken up, or they might break up in the future."

"You know, Willow, you might be right. But somehow I don't think that my dreams have been telling me that Angel is going to be my husband. Only that we will be just friends and that he will introduce me to my husband. He's my tutor and lives at the Alpha Kappa Lambda house - that mansion on Crawford Street. I _know_ that he's not the only eye candy that lives there," Buffy grinned.

Willow grinned as well, but she still believed in Buffy's dream. Buffy had thought that she had misinterpreted her dreams before, only to find out later that she was right the first time. As a matter of fact, Buffy's dreams had saved her, Buffy, and Xander many times before.

"Oh, we need to call Xander and have him meet us at the Alpha Kappa Lambda mansion at seven tomorrow night instead of the Bronze. We've been invited to a party. Angel told me to bring my friends and I am. Who knows, maybe I'll meet my soul-mate."

"Buffy, why the sudden obsession with your soul-mate?"

Buffy sat down on her bed and said, "I don't know, Willow. It's just a feeling I have I guess. I mean, I'm not ready for marriage at all. I'm in college and while I want to make good grades, I want to have fun too. I haven't really dated around and I want do that. Date, that is." Buffy was definitely puzzled by her own actions. "It must be the dreams, Will. If I start to go off talking about it, just stop me, ok?" Buffy said as she smiled at her best friend.

* * *

"Oooo … she's hurting, my Spike. We have to help her. We have to help Angel help her," Dru was rambling on as she spun in a circle while cradling her arms around her belly.

Angel happened to hear her and asked, "Help who, Dru? Who's hurting?"

"Buffy. The stars speak to her too. They speak to her through dreams and feelings. She thinks she misunderstood. She didn't even want their gift until they showed it to her. Now she thinks she won't get it. She's your soul-mate, Angel. Love at first sight. For the both of you." Dru tilted her head as if she was trying to hear a whisper, "She knows that you're going to be a father, but she thinks that you are in love with the baby's mother."

"I'll fix it at the party," Angel started to walk off.

"If you're not together from now on, you both will be miserable," Dru called out to him with amazing clarity. Sometimes Dru was lucid when giving her predictions but most of the time, she was _in another world_. Lindsey had described those times as _having lost her marbles_. Lorne had referred to it as _a few cards short of a full deck_. Preacher just thought that God was trying to speak to and through her. Because of the number of times Dru had been right, everybody that knew her, believed her.

But because of the moments of lucidity during these _prophesies_, as Preacher called them, Angel had to wonder if the 'crazy' was an act. Angel knew that Cordelia, Dru's younger sister, also had the _gift_. Cordelia just didn't put on a show like Dru did. She was quieter about it and often misinterpreted the visions she saw. She had just started to get them a couple of months ago, so she still had a lot to learn and would ask her older sister or Doyle for help. Doyle could interpret what Cordelia saw if she described it right. Cordelia also had gotten a vision when she met Buffy that afternoon; but she thought that Buffy was just a gold digger. She had gone to high school with Buffy and knew that her family didn't have a lot of money. Moore than that, Cordelia didn't really have any information since she'd never had the desire to get to know Buffy. She'd hung out with the popular rich kids while Buffy made friends with nerds and geeks. The two girls had never actually met, but they both knew of the other.

"He's in for disappointment," Cordelia sniffed after Angel had left the room.

Her sister turned to glare at her. "It's meant to be."

Cordelia glared back and added an expressive eye roll. "Oh. Quit it, Dru."

* * *

"So, Buff, you got a personal invitation to this party, huh? By one of the frat boys?" Xander asked as Buffy parked her car in the driveway. Xander had opted for meeting Willow and Buffy at their dorm room instead of going to the Alpha Kappa Lambda Mansion by himself.

"Yep. It looks like we're early. I only see a few cars here," Buffy was worried that she had gotten the time wrong.

"Well, it's cold out here, let's go on inside," Xander said as he got out of the car.

Between classes, getting ready for the party and Xander arriving an hour earlier to raid their fridge, Willow hadn't had the time to share some information. Important information. She'd just heard it this afternoon from several of the girls at the dorm. She had overheard them talking about Angel and joined in the conversations to ask questions. As Xander marched towards the warmth (and girls) of the party, Willow took Buffy's elbow before the blonde could step out of the car. "Buffy, I heard some things about Angel MacKenzie. I think I should tell you…"

"Willow, I told you, I just misinterpreted my dreams."

"Buffy, he … umm … he has a reputation of sleeping around. He doesn't get serious with anyone. He's always up front about it, and who ever he sleeps with, knows that it won't go any further. So it could be…"

"Willow, stop. I told you. My dreams were just trying to tell me that he will introduce me to my soul-mate," Buffy said not willing to hear any more on the subject.

Willow knew when her friend needed time to process the information, so she said, "Well, he did tell you seven and it's seven fifteen, so let's go in." She and Buffy got out of the car and joined Xander as they all walked up to the door.

* * *

Darla sat on Angel's bed and smiled. Inwardly she was laughing. She had never seen Angel try on his whole wardrobe before a party before. "Go with the black leather pants and black velvet shirt. What's her name?"

Angel almost answered, "Buffy," before he realized that the question had been posed as the start of the conversation. He decided to play dumb, "What do you mean, Darla?"

Darla raised her eyebrows, letting him know she wasn't fooled but would play along. "Who is the woman that has 'Angel, the Scourge of Hearts' so nervous? Come on, Lover, you and I both know that once you set your sights on a woman, it's only a matter of time before you bed her."

Angel suddenly felt her language wasn't appropriate, "Darla, could you be any more crude? And don't call me 'Lover'."

Darla smiled a sad smiled and said, "Oh, her. I should have known." Dru had told her that Angel had met his soul-mate, but she didn't want to believe it.

"What? What do you mean?" Angel was now thoroughly confused. Darla was giving him fashion advise and quizzing him on possible new lovers in the same sentence. Women!

"Your soul mate," she enunciated each syllable clearly, amused that he fidgeted with his buttons at the word. "I don't know her name, but I knew I wasn't her and I knew that you would meet her someday."

Angel was exasperated, "Why do you and Dru keep referring to Buffy as my soul-mate?"

"Ah, so that's her name," Darla said, Angel couldn't believe that he had let her name slip. "Don't look so shocked, Angel. Maybe she is, and maybe she's not. But that exclusive relationship you've been gunning for lately? I think it's time to try it out with her and see where it takes you both. But I'm telling you now; don't be surprised if you end up married to her. Especially since Dru has called her your soul-mate. I can't remember a time when Dru was wrong about something like this – remember Robert and Alice? Three years together and engaged to boot."

Angel really wanted to dispel that idea from Darla's head. Having Drusilla announce him and Buffy as a couple was inevitable; but he didn't really need someone encouraging her. Especially not Darla. Maybe he couldn't convince her – or himself – that Dru had been wrong this time, but common sense might do the trick, "Darla, she's a freshman. I'm her tutor. I can't. There are so many reasons as to why. Maybe in a few years or so. But I'm just going to go for friends for now."

Darla's skeptical expression spoke volumes, but she couldn't answer because the door bell rang. It was only a little after seven and the crowd wouldn't start coming until nine or so, when they were sure that the inner circle at Alpha Kappa Lambda had gotten the party into swing. "That's her and her friends," Angel said as he rushed out of the room and down the stairs. He beat everyone to the door - and that was saying something, considering that some of the frat boys were near the front door. Darla wasn't far behind Angel and noticed that he had stopped, but hadn't opened the door yet.

She stepped around him and he said, almost embarrassed, "I didn't want to look anxious."

"Uh huh." She shook her head at him and opened the door. "Hi, I'm Darla," she greeted the three youngsters with a smile. "Come on in."

"Hi, I'm Buffy. This is Willow and Xander." She frowned a little when she noticed the few people in the room. "I'm sorry if we're early. I thought I was told seven."

"You were," Angel said, coming out his stupor. He had been staring at the gorgeous vision Buffy created. "Every one is in the living room."

He started to lead the way and, after making sure Buffy was distracted talking with the redhead, Darla whispered in his ear, "You invite dates to the pre-party, not just friends." She giggled and walked into the living room, heading straight to Lindsey, her date for the night.

When Dru saw Buffy, she motioned for her and her friends to come sit by her. Willow went, while Xander and Buffy followed her.

Before any introductions were made, Angel started talking, "Preacher, what's your job?"

"Make sure I have all car keys and let no one who is drunk leave the mansion. Set drunks up in a room until they sober up. Make sure no one spikes Darla's drink because of her 'no alcohol' restriction," he listed efficiently. "Oh, and make sure there are no drugs on the property. "

Angel nodded. "Lorne?"

The shorter man pointed to the CD stacks in a corner. "I'm the D.J. I keep the tunes playing, Cupcake."

"Larry, what about you?"

"To keep the drinks, both loaded and unloaded, flowing."

"Spike and Dru?" It was really Spike's job, but Dru wanted to be included, so Angel humored her and mentioned her name as well.

"To keep the snacks out for munchies," Spike answered_**,**_ while Drusilla mimed biting into a Cheeto.

"Max, Lance, Ted, and Steve, you all are on clean up duty tomorrow." The freshmen frat brothers moaned their displeasure. Angel looked at each of them as he said, "We all take turns. Last party, Spike, Gunn, Doyle, and I cleaned up. It's just the luck of the draw." He then turned to his guests and said, "This is Buffy, Willow, and Xander. They're my guests and I expect everyone to treat them like it."

"You got it, Prez," Steve said.

Lindsey slapped Steve in the back of the head and said, "Show more respect to the President of Alpha Kappa Lambda."

"Lindsey, it's alright. Let's go get set up, and have fun!"

The members of Alpha Kappa Lambda went to make sure everything was ready before everyone else got there. They had enough experience that most things were already set up, they just had to make sure everything was as it was supposed to be.

* * *

Angel and Buffy sat down on the couch. "I asked you and your friends here for seven so that we could try to get to know each other," he admitted. Inwardly, he thanked Drusilla for keeping said friends occupied; she'd taken Xander's hand hostage for a palm-reading and the redhead looked truly interested. When he'd stepped in and asked Buffy for a word, she'd exchanged a quick look with her girlfriend – probably to make sure they'd be fine by themselves – and stood up to follow him. "You aren't mad, are you?"

Buffy smiled but before she could say something, Spike arrived with two drinks in his hands and handed one to Angel and the other to Buffy. "Does this have alcohol in it?"

"Of course," Spike answered.

Buffy returned her cup with an apologetic look. "Could I get a Diet Coke without the alcohol, please?"

Spike raised his right eyebrow, but said, "Sure," and let it go at that.

Buffy looked at Angel. "I've had a real bad experience with alcohol," she explained. "Alcohol and Buffy are non-mixy things."

Angel nodded in understanding. Here was a woman with great sense, he thought, and great eyes, and great smile, and great body... _'Just friends!'_ he reminded himself. "So, what part of History gives you trouble?" he asked, trying for a safe topic.

Buffy blinked. She hadn't expected to discuss History at the party – but it made sense, didn't it? From Monday on, he'd be her tutor. Of course he'd be interested. "Well, we're studying Columbus right now. I'm getting the dates mixed up and my professor told us to learn the size and dimensions of the ships that he came on."

"Let me guess, History 102, Professor Griffon." Buffy smiled and Angel was once again amazed at how much her smile affected him. He continued, "I had him for the same class."

"Oh, I see. Does it get better?"

"No," he said sincerely, and regretted it at Buffy's downhearted look. "But down in L.A. there is a full scale model of La Niña docked in one of the harbors that is open for tours. It's a couple of hours drive. I could take you tomorrow if you want." _Friends help each other_, he told his struggling conscience. "It might help you to remember the size and the dimensions of the ship."

Buffy didn't have any plans the next day. "Sure." Even if Willow had been right; she had to give him points for originality. In her memory, no pick up line had ever started with History 102 in its center.

"Great," Angel said as he realized that he felt relieved that she wanted to go. Why did it matter so much to him?

* * *

The party was in full swing by ten. Buffy looked around and saw that Xander had met a young lady - Sharon Turner, Angel told her - and they were dancing. Willow was with Max, and the boy seemed to have forgotten that he'd have cleaning duty come morning. _Way to go, Wills! _Meanwhile, she and Angel were still talking on the couch.

Buffy set her drink down on the small table beside her. Carl Crowley, one of the Alpha Kappa Lambda members, walked by nonchalantly. But Angel saw him pull out a small silver canister out of his pocket and pour clear liquid into Buffy's drink. _Vodka,_ Angel thought. Then Carl walked over to the drinks table and poured the contents of the canister into all the bowls. Angel was still following Carl's movements, debating with himself whether to have a talk with the younger boy now or later, and didn't notice that Buffy (who'd been unaware of Carl's activities) had reached for her cup until it was against her lips. "Buffy don't…." Before Angel could finish the statement, Buffy drank the rest of her Diet Coke. "… drink that." Angel finished.

Buffy was confused, "Why?" and then started to lean toward Angel. Angel caught her before she fell on her face. She looked at Angel and said something that'd been on her mind since the music started, "I wanna dance. Come dance with me." She looked at him entreatingly. "I bet you're a great dancer," she added as she grabbed his hand and led him out to the dance floor.

It was a slow song.

Buffy danced so close to Angel that if they didn't have their clothes on you would think they were having sex. Angel was in absolute agony. He had never slept with a woman while he was her tutor. There were several women he had waited until he didn't need to tutor them anymore. He knew the university would take serious offence if he ever slept with one of his students. Right now Buffy was making his _rule_ very difficult to obey. Angel was able to make it through a few more songs before he had to get Buffy off of the dance floor. If he didn't he would probably do something to get himself into a lot of trouble. He also didn't want Buffy to do anything she might regret in the morning.

Angel saw Preacher and, one arm still around Buffy, pulled him aside. "Go get Carl. He's spiking people's drinks. Take it away and see what's in it. He spiked Buffy's drink," he stated the obvious as the girl wobbled against him. "I thought it might be vodka, but he added something to it. I can smell it on her breath, but I'm not sure what it is. Make sure he hasn't spiked Darla's drink. I don't want the baby endangered because of him." Preacher assured him he'd do that; he'd also make sure the bowls were emptied and refilled at once. Too worried about Buffy and Darla, Angel hadn't even thought of the remaining threat. "If there are any drugs in that vodka, he's out of here!" Angel continued. The last thing the fraternity needed was a bad reputation.

Preacher nodded and hurried to find Carl. Angel turned back to Buffy and noticed that she was barely awake. He looked around and easily picked out her friends; when he noticed their condition, he shook his head at himself. "Let's go up to my room," Angel suggested. He wasn't sure if it was a good idea or not, but it was the only think he could think of.

Buffy thought he was taking her up to his room for sex. While there was that little voice in the back of her mind that said,_ You don't want your first time to be while you're drunk,_ whatever was in her drink made her say, _I don't care._

"Don't worry, I won't take advantage of you. I'll make sure that you are sober and you will enjoy your first time," Angel said as he closed his door and went to his dresser. Buffy was zeroing in to his bed.

"What?" Buffy asked, confused.

"You just said that you didn't want your first time to be while you are drunk."

"I did?" She plopped onto the mattress. "My conscience talked out loud?"

Angel laughed, "Apparently." He handed her a pair of sweat pants and a t-shirt that Darla had left in his room. "Here, you can wear this."

"You have women's clothes in your dresser?" Buffy slurred, holding the articles and giving them her best accusatory glare.

"They're Darla's." He really hoped she didn't ask him for details. "Just put them on. You're staying here tonight."

"Excuse me?" But she obeyed him, pulling her t-shirt out of her jeans and making to take it off.

Angel gaped, rooted to the spot. Only when her bra peeked out, he remembered to turn around. "You're too drunk to drive," he told her as he turned his back to her, so as to give her some privacy while she changed, "and so are your friends. They will be put up in one of the extra rooms."

"Okay," Buffy said disappointingly. So he didn't even want to watch. His loss.


	4. Chapter 03

* * *

Chapter Three

* * *

Buffy woke in Angel's arms the next morning, "Oh, God," she moaned out loud afraid of what she might have done. "Oh, _God_," she moaned again, this time in pain.

"Don't worry, nothing happened," Angel whispered.

"My head, did you happen to get the number of that truck?"

Angel chuckled, "Carl spiked your drink and as soon as we find out what he used, he will answer for it. I promise."

Buffy nodded her head and then tried to think back. She was startled when nothing came back to her. "Angel, what happened last night? We were talking and then... I can't remember anything."

"We just talked. That's all," Angel thought he saw doubt in her eyes so he elaborated, "I noticed your Purity ring. I wouldn't take advantage of anyone like that." He didn't want to embarrass her and it wasn't a total lie. They had talked about where and how she got her Purity ring as well as some other stuff that he was sure that if she had been drunk, she would have never had told him.

Buffy saw the truth to what he was saying in his eyes and nodded, feeling only a little relieved. "Why can't I remember anything?"

Angel shrugged his shoulders. "I'm having Carl's flask analyzed to see what was in it."

Before Buffy could say anything else, there was a knock on the door and then they heard a female voice, "30, 29, 28…"

"Come in!" Angel shouted. He got out of bed to reveal that he had a pair of gym shorts on and opened the door.

He was promptly grabbed into a bear hug by a young teenage girl. "Hey! That's the fastest you've ever gotten dressed," the girl laughed.

"We were up already," Angel said as he smiled. "Buffy, this is Kathy, my sister. Kathy, Buffy Summers."

"Hi." Buffy waved shyly.

"Hi!" Kathy said energetically, obviously not surprised at finding a perfect stranger in Angel's bed.

Angel turned to his sister and asked, "What are you doing here?"

Kathy looked at her brother, "Mr. Photographic Memory asking _*me*_ what I'm doing here?" She gave a dramatic sigh, "Mama and Daddy's anniversary cruise. Ring a bell, Mr. Hormones?"

"Oh, man! I completely forgot!"

"Angel, forget? Quick! Call the Guinness Book of World Records!" Kathy laughed as she teased her older brother, "I know I'm writing this down!" She looked at her brother and said, "What's with you? You never forget anything."

Angel ignored her question and asked one of his own, "Is Mom and Dad still here?"

"Yeah. They're downstairs. Why?"

Angel turned to Buffy and said, "Um…I've got to go talk to my parents for a minute…or an hour or two. Umm…If you want, I'm sure that Darla has some clothes you can change into. And the shower is over there." He pointed to a door to his right. "When I finish talking to my parents, then we can go to L.A. to visit La Niña." He looked at his sister who looked confused and said, "That is if you don't mind my sister tagging along."

Buffy looked at the girl who reminded her of Dawn and smiled, "Of course not."

"Great!" Angel said as he put some jeans and a T-shirt on and ran off to find Darla first, then his parents. He found Darla in Lindsey's room, "Hey, Darla, Mom and Dad are here."

Darla looked at Angel and nodded her head. She knew that he wanted to tell his parents that he was going to be a father. She had convinced him to wait until they dropped Kathy off for their anniversary cruise. She grabbed the dress that she wore the night before and put it on. "Oh, do you have some clothes that Buffy can borrow? We're going to L.A."

Darla looked at Angel and smiled. As they passed Angel's room, she stuck her head in the room, "Kathy, take Buffy to my room. Buffy, choose what you want to wear and pack some clothes for a couple of days. Lord knows I don't wear my clothes more than once, someone should get some use out of them." She walked on with Angel to greet his parents.

"Mom, Dad," Angel said as he saw them in the breakfast room sitting at a table.

"Angel," his mother greeted him with a hug and a grin. "Darla, it's always nice to see you, Sweetie."

"Hi, Mrs. Patty, Mr. Sean," Darla said as she received a hug from both Patty and Sean MacKenzie.

Patty launched right into what she wanted Angel to do with Kathy while they were gone, "She needs to do Chapter eleven of History, Chapter nine of Science, chapter fifteen of Math, I want her to diagram five sentences a day for Grammar, Chapter eight of her French Book. I would really appreciate it if you could get her to read a whole novel while we're gone. Oh and she needs to write in her journal everyday."

"Got it."

"Well, I've written it all down for you. She can check it off as she completes it."

"Mom." Angel smiled indulgently. "She's thirteen not three,"

"I know. It's just…"

"I know. It's been a while since you left her for this long."

"Yeah. Not since she was kidnapped."

"But she has spent the night with me since then. She will be fine. I promise," Angel reassured his parents. He then looked at Darla.

Before he could say anything else, Darla spoke up and said, "Besides, you know, it will give him a good idea of what he has to look forward to. You…you know, having a teenager in thirteen years."

"Darla, what are you talking about?" Sean asked confused.

Angel gave Darla a look. He'd meant to ease his parents into the idea. But, well, the cat was out of the bag. He reached out and put his right arm around Darla's shoulder. "Mom, Dad, Darla's pregnant and I'm the father."

Patty got up and hugged her son again, "So when's the wedding?"

"There isn't going to be one," Darla answered for the two of them. "Angel asked, but I turned him down. I don't want to get married. But, Angel will be very much apart of this baby's life and I hope that you will too."

"Of course!" The MacKenzie couple said in unison, not completely surprised at this outcome. They'd known Darla since she was a little girl, ever since her parents' divorce she'd maintained that marriage wasn't for her. "I think Kathy will be thrilled to be an aunt," Patty added.

"I think so, too, Mom," Angel smiled. He had expected a lecture from them both, first on getting Darla pregnant before they were married and then on not getting married since she was already pregnant with his child. But the admonishment never came.

"Is it true? Is it true?" Kathy asked enthusiastically as she came into the room.

"Is what true?" Angel inquired.

"Dru said that you and Darla are having a baby and Buffy is your soul-mate! Is it true? Is it true?" Kathy bounced up and down as she demanded an answer from her older brother.

"Well, the baby part is. The soul mate part – we're not sure yet. We just met a few days ago."

"Well, if Dru said it…" Patty joked with a sparkle in her eye. Patty knew that Dru had never been wrong before, but there was always a first time and she wasn't going to count on Dru being right on something this important. If a baby wouldn't cause her son to marry, then nothing would. That saddened her; she wanted him to find the love that she and her husband shared.

"I'm sorry, Angel." Everybody looked up as Buffy came downstairs. "Dru came in and told Kathy some stuff and she just took off. I couldn't catch her," Buffy sounded as if she had been running after Kathy.

"It's alright, Buffy. Oh, uh…, this is my mom and dad, Patty and Sean MacKenzie. Mom, Dad, this is Buffy Summers."

"Pleased to meet you, Mr. and Mrs. MacKenzie," Buffy said politely as she shook their hands.

Patty noticed the way that her son was looking at this young woman. _*Maybe Dru is right after all. We'll just have to wait and see,*_ she thought to herself.

"It's nice meeting you, Miss Summers. I hope we will see you again. Kathy, you be good for your brother, now. Don't tease him too much." Sean didn't buy for one second the angelic look his youngest directed at him. "Angel, make sure she does her school work. Don't let her try and talk you out of it." Buffy noticed a thick Irish accent.

Kathy groaned.

"I won't, Dad." With those three words, Angel reassured his father that he would make sure that Kathy did all of her school work.

Kathy gave her parents a hug goodbye and whispered something in her father's ear that made him smile. "See you in a week," she called out as she ran out of the room.

"Kathy, take your knapsack to your room!" Patty yelled after her daughter. Again, Buffy noticed a thick Irish accent, but Mrs. MacKenzie's voice was soft and gentle where as, Sean's voice was deep and stern.

* * *

Kathy was listening to her iPod as Angel was showing Buffy to her room in the Penthouse in L.A. They had just gotten back from touring La Niña. It was a lot smaller than either Buffy or Kathy had imagined it would be. Neither of the girls could understand how a crew of men could sleep on a tiny ship with chickens, sheep, and other cargo. They thought it would be too crowded and entirely too uncomfortable considering that sailors were gone months at a time. The girls couldn't conceive willingly sailing on a crowded ship for that long. "Maybe that's why there were very few female sailors," Kathy pointed out reasonably.

Due to Kathy's iPod, she missed out on the conversation that Angel and Buffy had in the front seat of the car. Angel and Buffy both admitted to having feelings for each other. Angel also admitted that it was against the rules for him to date one of his students. Buffy said that she would just go to Dr. Spangler on Monday and tell her that her new boyfriend would be doing the tutoring.

Angel had smiled when she said that and he promised her that he would be faithful to her. Buffy hadn't expected that. Between Willow's words last night and her own observations, she'd thought he was going to tell her the exact opposite.

Kathy was lying on the sofa with the headphones on when she yelled, "I'm going to order a pizza!"

Angel pulled an ear bud out of her left ear and yelled back, "We're right here!"

Buffy laughed. Seeing the two of them almost made her miss her own little sister. "I'll make the call while you two scream each other to deafness. What do you want on your pizza, Kathy?"

"Pepperoni."

"Extra Cheese," Angel said.

Buffy went to make the call.

Scene Divider

As they were eating the pizza, Kathy noticed Buffy's ring. "Hey, Angel gave me a purity ring exactly like that one for my birthday last year! See?!" Kathy enthusiastically showed Buffy her ring.

Buffy looked at Angel, surprised, and smiled, "I got this one when I went with a friend in jr. high on a church trip. She thought it was corny, but I didn't. It made sense to me, so I took the vow and they gave me this ring as a reminder of the vow."

* * *

Angel was in Buffy's room and they were sitting on her bed talking when Kathy yelled out, "Angel! Help! My Angel!" Angel and Buffy ran to Kathy's room.

Angel grabbed his sister into a hug. "It's alright. I'm here. I'm here. It's alright, Munchkin. I'm right here."

Kathy opened her eyes as she heard her brother's whispers. "My Angel?"

Angel smiled and pushed her hair out her face, "Yeah, I'm here."

"He was here, Angel."

"It was just a bad dream, Little Bit," Angel tried to reassure his sister.

"Promise?"

"Promise."

Seeing that the girl was calmer, Buffy approached them and asked, "Have you ever played a game called 'Anywhere But Here?'" Kathy shook her head no while still clinging to her Angel. "Okay, I want you to tell about a place where want to be and who want to be with. No boyfriends allowed. It can be anyone. Usually it's a star." Buffy smiled when Kathy's eyes rounded at the idea. "And it can be anywhere in the world but here. Describe the place in detail. What's the weather like? Any other people around? Any furniture? Any other rooms? Are you inside or outside? What are you doing?"

Kathy thought about it, "I'd like to be in a log cabin in the mountains. It's got a fireplace, a sofa and two chairs. In the kitchen there is a table with four chairs. There is one bedroom with a king sized bed. It's snowing outside so there is a fire in the fireplace."

"Are there any smells?" Buffy asked as she rubbed her hand in circles lightly on Kathy's back.

"Oh, I can smell homemade cornbread, vegetable soup."

"Who's cooking?"

"Brad Pitt," Kathy said as she drifted off.

When Angel looked down and saw that his sister was back to sleep, he looked at his brand new girlfriend and asked, "How did you do that?"

Buffy shrugged, "I don't know. It's just something that me and my little sister do when we have nightmares. We play 'Anywhere But here' and then fall back to sleep with happy dreams."

"You're amazing, you know that?"

"What?"

"Kathy never goes back to sleep after one of her nightmares -- not until dawn or after, anyway."

"What do you mean?"

"When she was ten, we were in Ireland visiting our grandparents for a family reunion. Kathy and a couple of our cousins her age, were walking to a store for some candy. There was a drive by shooting. Our two cousins were shot -- both lived. A stranger came by and offered to take Kathy to the hospital since they wouldn't let her ride in the ambulance with our cousins. There just wasn't room. Kathy went with the man but he didn't follow the ambulance." He'd been pulling the covers closer around his sister's body, and his hands clenched at the memory. "He took her to an abandoned building and held her there for four days before he called for a ransom demand. We think that she was singled out. That the shooting was planned so that her kidnapper could attack in the confusion. He was just trying to get money from our parents, which he got. They never caught the man or the drive-by shooters. The Irish Police still don't think that the shooting and the kidnapping were connected, but we do."

Buffy was at a loss of words. That the enthusiastic girl she'd met that morning could have gone through such a traumatic experience.... It sounded impossible, and yet the anger in Angel's eyes was unequivocally real.

Angel seemed to notice and softened his expression. "Anyway, Kathy has been home schooled ever since and we try to shield her from the press as much as possible. She now has a phobia of going anywhere without me or our parents." He noticed the iPod earphones tangled with Kathy's long hair and set to free them as carefully as possible. "She can stay alone in a familiar place, like one of our homes, for a few hours and be okay, but not for an extended period of time. She doesn't like going out in public and it frustrates her, because she used to love to go out. Now it frightens her. She's afraid that she will be taken again." Task finished, he placed the earphones beside her bedside lamp. "And ever since the kidnapping, when she has a nightmare, especially if _he_ is in the nightmare, she's too afraid to go back to sleep. Brad Pitt seemed to do the trick," he tried to lighten things up.

Buffy smiled wanly in response, still too shocked by the news. "Was she able to describe the man who kidnapped her to the police?"

Angel nodded. "Even better. Kathy is a very talented artist - we get our talent from our mom – so she painted a perfect picture. They put it out there for everyone to see, but so far no leads. In the meantime, Kathy is too scared to go back to Ireland – even to visit family. I volunteer to let her stay with me when Mom and Dad need to go check on the businesses over there. So that bastard's not only messed up my sister's life. I love Ireland, I really do, I'd like to go back, but I haven't been back since it happened."

"Angel, you're twenty-five. You can go with out your parents."

"I know, but when I have the time -- during the holidays -- to go, my grandparents come here to see me and Kathy both. So…."

"Yeah, I can guess. I've been to England a few times. My step-dad wanted us to meet his family there. But they come here, too. So I know how it is."

"Besides, pretty soon, Mom's going to be staying with Kathy so Dad can teach me how to run MacKenzie Enterprises."

"You expecting that anytime soon?"

"No, not really. Dad says he'll teach me when I get married, when I ask, or when I finish school."

"You're not interested?"

"Well, I know most of it just by watching him and the Business Administration courses I've taken, but I'm placing my education above that right now," Angel explained.

* * *

Ok, I have to go do some work now. I've been here for little over and hour and now I have to get on my volunteer work and make some phone calls to update a list for the place where I volunteer at. Hopefully I can upload some more tomorrow. Click the review button and let me know what you think. :-)


	5. Chapter 04

* * *

Chapter Four

* * *

On the way back to Sunnydale, Buffy used her cell phone to call her mom, "Hi, Mom, I'll be a little late today… Yes I'm coming by to do my laundry… Well, um, I went down to L.A. with a couple of new friends… Well, there was this full scale replica of La Niña -- one of the ships that sailed with Columbus and we just thought that it would help me with my history if we went to tour it, it was a last minute thing…," Buffy smiled and blushed as she listened to her mom on the other line, "Yes, mom… We're on our way back now… hang on," Buffy turned to her new boyfriend and said, "My mom wants to know if you want a home cooked meal."

"Sure. How about it, Kathy?" Angel asked the backseat passenger.

"I have a sister your age. You might get along."

"Sure." Then, sulkily, "Whatever." The batteries for her iPod had run out shortly after leaving LA and she'd been in a cross mood ever since.

"They'll _so_ get along," Buffy whispered to Angel, then returned her attention to her cell phone. "Yes, Mom, they want to come over for dinner… I don't know, I haven't talked to them since yesterday morning before I left for L.A…. No, Mom, Willow and Xander didn't go to L.A. with me…," Buffy rolled her eyes as her mom talked, "Yeah, Mom, I'll see you as soon as I get back... Love you, too." Buffy hung up the phone.

"So we go straight to your mom's?" Angel asked.

"No, I have to pick up my dirty clothes first. On Sundays, Willow, Xander, and I usually have lunch with my whole family while we do our laundry there. Willow, Xander and I have been friends for so long, my mom's kinda like their mom too, y'know?"

Angel nodded.

"It's the same way with Darla, Spike, and Dru and our parents." Kathy said, "That's why Darla and Dru have their own rooms in the Sunnydale Mansion. I really wish that Angel hadn't turned it into a frat house, but Mom and Dad gave it to him when he decided to go to U.C. Sunnydale." Buffy smiled at Kathy. "But before they practically lived with us. Not that, you know, Spike and Dru's parents aren't okay and all, but Darla's parents…"

"Kathy!" Angel interrupted his sister, who'd apparently decided to fight boredom by telling Buffy the story of his and his friends' lives. "If Darla wants Buffy to know about her parents, she'll tell her."

Kathy in typical teenage fashion stuck out her tongue at her older brother.

* * *

Kathy and Angel followed Buffy up to her dorm room. Two familiar faces greeted them. "Kathy, that's Willow and Xander. I'm not sure if you met them yesterday or not," Buffy made the introductions. "Kathy is Angel's younger sister. They will be going with us to Mom's."

"Uh… Buff, you sure you want us to tag along this week?" Xander asked, giving Angel a completely unsubtle look.

"Yeah. Of course I do." Buffy smiled at her friend. "Mom even said she brought you some ho-hos." Xander whooped at the news, making the others laugh. They then put all the dirty laundry in Angel's trunk and piled in the car.

"So, Buffy, what's your major?" Kathy asked from where she was squeezed between Willow and the door.

"Um.. I haven't made up my mind yet."

"What about you, Willow and Xander?" Kathy continued with the questions.

"Well, I haven't decided yet either. I want to explore some before I make up my mind," Willow answered, pushing against Xander for more space.

"I don't go to school," Xander said. And he pushed back.

"Then why do you need to do your laundry at Buffy's mom's house?" Kathy asked, convinced she didn't know the full story.

Xander shrugged. "It's better than listening to my parents fight and argue. As long as I stay in my basement apartment, they forget that I'm still there. But if I go up to do my laundry, they remember that I didn't go off to school and Dad starts yelling at Mom about how much money I'm costing him and Mom yells at him about how it's his fault that I didn't go off to college. It's a big mess." The girls had heard the story a thousand times, but Willow still put her hand on her friend's shoulder comfortingly while Buffy reached back to pat his knee. Xander touched his knuckles against theirs to show his appreciation, and his voice sounded more confident when he continued. "But I'm working on it. I'm looking for a job so that I can move out into my own apartment. But so far all I can find are minimum wage jobs."

Angel looked at him through the rearview mirror. The other night he'd thought Xander to be a little goofy, but now he understood what the boy was going through. "What kind of job are you looking for?" he asked.

"Anything that I can do, man!"

"And he means it," Willow and Buffy chorused unintentionally, then looked at each other, amused.

Kathy giggled.

"Thank you, girls," Xander said, then addressed Angel again, "But they're right. I do mean it."

"Well. Can you cut grass?"

"Yeah," Xander answered not sure where this was going.

"How are you at gardening?"

"I can grow flowers, not sure about vegetables and stuff. One year for Mother's Day, I planted my mom a flower garden and a year later, she said, 'When did we get a flower garden. It's nice.'"

"It's more than nice, Angel. It's gorgeous. His parents are just so caught up in their own world, they don't notice him," Willow said sadly.

"Can you clean pools?"

"Yeah, again I'm Mom and Dad's unseen pool boy. Why?"

"Well, My grounds keeper just gave his two weeks notice on Friday. He wants to go back to India. I was going to put an ad on the Student Union board, but if you want it, it's yours. It pays $600 a week plus you have the Servants' House -- the boys call it the Pool House. All the Utilities are paid, local phone line is paid, internet paid for, satellite is paid for." Xander's face was the definition of amazement, and Willow's wasn't far behind. Angel couldn't get to see his sister's reaction, since she was sitting behind Buffy and outside the mirror's range, but he didn't think she'd oppose his sudden decision. Meanwhile, Buffy had moved her hand to his shoulder and when he turned briefly to look at her, her smile was so bright Angel knew he'd made the right decision. "All you're responsible for is your personal Bills, your food, and your long distance. The phone number is un-listed and besides the people in the family wing, only the people who you give the number to will have it. All your belongings will be covered under my home owner's insurance, or if you want, you can take out renter's insurance." Angel heard the high-five behind his seat (Willow and Xander), and mourned when Buffy's hand retreated to slap against Xander's. Even Kathy joined the impromptu celebration.

"I'll take it! When do I start?"

Angel chuckled, "Well, why don't you come by tomorrow at nine and let Vatsa show you what he does around the place and if you think you can do it, the job is yours."

"Great!I'll be there at nine sharp," Xander agreed.

* * *

The group of five wiped their feet on a green mat with flowers and the words 'Welcome to Our Home' embroidered on it before Buffy led them inside.

"Mom, Giles, we're here," Buffy called our.

An attractive blond woman came out of the kitchen drying her hands on a hand towel and said, "Hi, I'm Joyce Giles."

"Angel MacKenzie, my little sister, Kathy," Angel said before Buffy could introduce them.

"Oh and this is my step-dad, Rupert Giles," Buffy said as Giles came out of the study. Buffy saw Dawn come down the stairs and said, "And this is Dawn, my sister."

"Hi," Dawn said.

"Hello. Pleased to make your acquaintance," Giles said in his British mannerism. "This is Wesley Wyndam-Pryce, my nephew. Wesley, you know Buffy, and these are her friends, Willow Rosenberg, Xander Harris, and Mr. MacKenzie and Miss MacKenzie."

Angel and Kathy were used to be referred to by their last name because of the acquaintances that their parents had. They knew that they had to give permission for Mr. Giles to call them by their given names/nicknames. "You can call me Angel."

"And you can call me Kathy."

"Kathy is staying with me for a week or so." Angel then noticed Preacher, "Preacher, what are you doing here?"

"Well, you know that thing you wanted me to check out?" Angel nodded and Preacher continued, "Well, Wesley is my contact from England I told you about."

"Oh, well. That's great."

"Small world," Buffy joked.

"Angel, we need to talk about it," Preacher said seriously.

"Okay."

"Come on, we can talk in the study," Wesley said.

After the men returned to the study and closed the door, Preacher started, "We have a real problem, Angel. The flask not only contained Vodka, it had an unknown drug in it. This drug has some of the same properties that DHB has, plus a very powerful aphrodisiac."

"It looks like a new date rape drug that renders the victim willing but also makes her forget. Especially if taken with alcohol and if the person isn't used to drinking," Wesley informed his new acquaintance.

"Is there anything illegal in it?" Angel inquired.

"Yes," Preacher answered.

Angel nodded solemnly, "Then as soon as we get home, we do what we have to do."

"Angel, you did the right thing with Buffy. Looking after her and her friends making sure that they were safe," Preacher consoled.

"What about everybody else?" Angel snapped harshly. Preacher knew that he was just mad at himself for not being able to prevent it. They all knew that there a chance for someone to bring drugs to the party, but nobody had ever expected it to be a fraternity brother.

* * *

"So, tell me, where did you meet him?" Joyce asked her daughter as they set the table.

Buffy had known this was coming from the moment her mother had let Dawn escape her chores and sent her upstairs, with the excuse of entertaining Kathy until dinner was served. Then she'd asked Xander to retrieve some extra chairs, and when Xander had reasoned that the other guys had sequestered the study, and with it the extra chairs, Joyce had raised the 'mom' eyebrow. A second later Xander was closing the door behind him, mumbling under his breath.

"Well, I first met him when he and Darla came to eat at The Outback. But I don't think he remembers I was his waitress. At least I hope he doesn't." She counted ten glasses and she and Willow started taking then, two by two, to the table. "Anyway, I went Thursday to my Guidance Councilor to get a tutor for history. He invited me and my friends to a party for the next night, and I went. We danced and talked. He took me to L.A. yesterday to tour the La Niña and while we were there we both realized that neither one of us wanted just a professional relationship and we want more than just friendship."

"Buffy, you know I don't believe the always two sides to everything and the tabloids take a piece of the truth invent a whole new story. But be careful. Remember that if you see an article about him that hurts you, get his side of the story before you jump to the same conclusions that the supermarket trash rags did."

Buffy smiled and arranged the forks around the table, leaving the spoons for Willow, "I will, Mom." She had no idea why her mother was talking about tabloids.

"Buffy," Joyce said uneasily, "I know you are eighteen and I can't stop you if you want to have sex…" Buffy started to blush, "but Angel has admitted in several interviews that he's…"

"A playboy?" Willow supplied.

Buffy rounded to glare at her best friend for such an unflattering description of her boyfriend, and half-mockingly brandished a fork. Willow meeped and raised her hands innocently.

"Yes, thank you, Willow." Joyce couldn't help a chuckle at the girls' theatrics. "I was going to go with promiscuous but playboy covers it too. All I'm going to say on the subject is be careful. And don't tell me about it. Let me live in denial."

Buffy and Willow giggled, "De Nile isn't just a river in Egypt, huh, Mom?"

Joyce smiled. "Right."

Buffy smiled at her mom and promised, "I will, Mom."

"Angel's the man of Buffy's dreams," Willow informed her _second mom_ as she put the tenth spoon in its place.

"Isn't it a little too early to tell?" Joyce asked teasingly.

"No, she told me a few hours before she met him at The Outback that the groom in her 'Wedding Dream' came into focus. When she came home that night, she told me that she had met him. Then on Thursday, she got his name," Willow answered.

"I didn't know that he was famous. I've never heard of him before," Buffy said casually.

"Well, you don't read Fortune 500 either, Buff." Xander, tuned already to these females, had apparently decided that their girls-only conversation must be over and it was safe to return. "The only reason he's famous is because of his parents. The MacKenzies are the owners of the largest international companies; but the tabloids are only interested in their son's sexual conquests and he tries to keep that private," he said without thinking. "All he'll say on the subject is that he isn't in an exclusive relationship."

"Playboy", Willow mouthed, then ducked when a napkin flew her way.

"Buffy!" Joyce chastised her daughter. "They aren't wrong, you know. Your Angel has made the People's Top 100 Sexiest Men List and Most Eligible Bachelors list the past few years, but you were more worried with your teen magazines and the actors and musicians that they write about," Joyce added. "Xander how did you know about the Fortune 500 Magazine?"

Xander looked at her as if it was obvious. "It's the only thing to read in my parents' house."

* * *

"I've been home schooled for the past three years," Kathy said.

"Wow."

"Yeah. Most of the time I'm done before noon and have the rest of the day to do what I want."

Dawn looked at her enviously. "What do you do until your friends get home from school?"

"I paint or draw mostly. Sometimes I'll play the piano. Angel and I both are very good artists, but he likes History and I like music. He loves to read just about anything" Kathy smiled fondly. "Me, I'd rather compose music or draw or paint. I usually draw the picture first, then I'll paint it."

"You are amazing," Dawn said as the two teenagers sat on her bed talking. "What kinds of things do you and your friends do?"

Kathy looked sad. "I don't have any friends."

"Why not?" Dawn asked concerned.

"Well, when you're afraid to go anywhere without your parents or big brother, you tend to loose your friends," she picked at the edges of Dawn's pillow. "That's why I'm home schooled. I was afraid to go back to school after I was kidnapped. I haven't seen my old friends since."

"Wow. That's…that's horrible." Dawn didn't feel so envious any more. "Did they hurt you?"

"Well, he beat me and now I'm always afraid of being kidnapped again, even though I'm a black belt in a few Martial Arts disciplines. So yeah, he hurt me not only physically but emotionally as well. He took away my security."

Dawn looked down and said, "Well, anytime you're in town, maybe we can do stuff. I wouldn't mind having your brother around if it meant that you felt safe. I would think that any true friend would feel the same."

Kathy smiled, "That's sweet, Dawn. I might take you up on that offer this week."

All of the sudden they heard a baby's cry. Dawn stood up as an idea occurred to her. "Come on. Why don't come meet my baby sister. She's just a year old." Dawn led Kathy to her old room, picked the infant up out of the baby bed and said, "This is Malissa Ava Giles. When Buffy moved into the dorms at school, Malissa got my old room and I got Buffy's old room." Dawn changed the baby's diaper before taking her downstairs.

"Where was her room before?" Kathy asked. She hadn't noticed an extra bedroom in the house.

"She shared a room with Mom and Giles," Dawn answered as they walked down the stairs.

Buffy saw the baby and went to take her out of her sister's hands, "Missy! Did you miss me? I missed you." The baby smiled at her eldest sister. Then she kicked out and tried to reach for Xander, who was making silly faces behind Buffy's back.

"She loves me more!" Xander cried out.

Buffy turned around and marched away from him, hugging Malissa tighter to her. "No way," she threw over her shoulder before turning around and making cooing noises at her sister.

It was at that moment that Angel and the others walked out of the study. The image of Buffy holding her baby sister brought a sense of rightness to him and he could easily imagine her holding his baby. While he had never entertained those thoughts before, he couldn't help it now. He was going to be a father in seven months. "Can I carry her?" his sister's voice interrupted his musings.

"In a second," Joyce answered from the door, then she smiled at the gathered people and announced, "Dinner's ready."

* * *


	6. Chapter 05

* * *

Chapter Five

* * *

The next morning Angel called a meeting of the Alpha Kappa Lambda. Everyone was seated in the TV Room except Preacher who was waiting by the door. "Friday night at the party, there was someone going around spiking people's drinks. I saw the person do this with my own eyes. Everyone here knows I do not put up with drugs, especially date rape drugs. I had the flask that was used by the person analyzed; it was a new drug that had some illegal substances in it. Its effects will make it be considered a date rape drug."

Most of the boys looked up in alarm; their fraternity was one of the few known for being clean. Spike looked ready to punch something, preferably the person responsible (which was why Angel didn't want to say names until he absolutely had to). Spike believed in living a bit on the wild side, and his nickname attested to that fact, but even he knew the limits and respected them.

"What are we going to do?" one of the sophomores asked.

As an answer, the doorbell rang and Preacher led the guests to the TV Room. Everybody looked up at the uniformed men that walked in. "Hello, Officers," Angel greeted them, obviously having expected their presence. "You may search every room on this property. I want ***everyone*** who contributed to this dealt with."

"Yes, sir."

"You won't get any interference from the boys because they will be here." Seeing the gravity of the situation, nobody even tried to protest the invasion of their privacy.

"Here's the warrant, Mr. MacKenzie."

"Thank you, Officer O'Neal." Angel received the sheet of paper and then motioned Lindsey to stand. "Lindsey, come look this over."

Lindsey read it, "It looks to be in order. Everything on the property is to be searched, rooms and buildings."

"Because you contacted us, told us we could search the whole property, and are cooperating with us, this will be kept out of the press," Officer O'Neal reassured Angel.

"Thank you, Officer," Angel said and he turned to the group and said, "Carl Crowley." The boy in question stopped, he'd been trying to retreat against the wall quietly, and turned around apprehensively. Everybody around him took a look at their president's dark expression and moved away. "I saw you spike Buffy Summers' drink with my own eyes. I don't know if you were working alone or not, but I ***will*** find out. Officers, arrest him." One of the officers moved to handcuff him, and Angel said, "Oh, Carl, when you get out on bail, your stuff that isn't confiscated will be packed and ready for you to move out. Illegal drugs and rape are not tolerated by Alpha Kappa Lambda. You know this. We are very upfront about it." He turned to the officer and said, "Get 'em out of sight."

Everyone sat in silence as the police did their jobs. It was a couple of hours before everything was searched. "Mr. MacKenzie, if he had an accomplice, we didn't find evidence of it. Thank you for letting us know. Most fraternities don't help us out. They tend to cover up for their 'brother'," O'Neal said.

"There are some things I won't tolerate and I legally own this property and everything on it. I refuse to have my parents' names dragged through the mud. But make no mistake. We all lost a brother tonight and it feels as though he died. We won't treat him like that, he'll still be our friend, but he cannot be an Alpha Kappa Lambda member anymore." There were a couple nods to accompany his words. "If he needs any type of help, we'll be there to help, but he will also pay for what he has done."

The officer's eyebrow shot up. "So you're saying you'll provide him with a lawyer?"

"That's not the kind of help I was referring to," Angel answered. "He will have to provide his own lawyer since I will be testifying against him. What I meant was, if he did this because of some sickness, then we will get the help he needs to get well. If he is addicted to drugs we will help him through rehab."

"Oh, I see," O'Neal said, still not sure if MacKenzie was on the up and up.

"This fraternity house even has rooms set up for some girls," one of the other officers remarked.

"Yes, Officer. As I have stated, I legally own this mansion, the property, and everything on it." He made a rounding gesture with his hand, encompassing the space around them, "I set up the East Wing for the Alpha Kappa Lambda because I didn't want to move out. However, the West Wing is where my parents, my sister, and two of my close friends, Darla Rockefeller and Drusilla Chase, have their rooms. I even have another room in the Family Wing."

* * *

"Dr. Spangler, can I talk to you for a minute?" Buffy asked as she poked her head through the door.

The older woman looked up from her work, smiling when she recognized Buffy. "Sure. Come on in."

"Um…" Buffy squirmed in her seat. It was a good plan, she reminded herself, and it was _not _a lie. "I won't be needing History tutoring anymore. Someone else has offered to do it."

Dr. Spangler looked hesitant. "I doubt you found someone as qualified as Mr. MacKenzie." When Buffy stated she felt quite confident in her new tutor's abilities, the counselor set aside her files and steepled her fingers. "Is it because of what the tabloids and rumors say about him? 'Cause I can assure you that Mr. MacKenzie is a very professional tutor. He never engages in personal romances with his students."

Buffy shook her head. "No, Ma'am. It has nothing to do with rumors. It's just that I have a boyfriend who can tutor me now. That's all. I've already talked with Angel about it."

Dr. Spangler understood it was a lost cause. Any girl would rather spend more time with a new boyfriend than secure a good grade. Hopefully, this girl would come to her senses before her scholarship was gone. "Well, good luck, Miss Summers. If you should change your mind and go back to...."

"Thanks, Dr. Spangler," Buffy said as she hurried out of the office before the woman could finish her sentence and she'd have to answer that she didn't have any desire to go back to _Mr. MacKenzie_. Half-truths were bad enough, but she really didn't want to lie.

Buffy was greeted by her new boyfriend as she walked out of the building, "Well?"

"Well, you're no longer officially my tutor."

"Great!" He said and gave her a long passionate kiss, "But we are still going to bring up your grade to an 'A'."

Buffy laughed, "Let's not set our sights too high, Buttercup. A 'B' will be fine."

Angel laughed and put his arm around her waist as he walked her to her class.

Neither one of them saw Dr. Spangler watching from her second story window. _*Professional to the end. He even made her "officially" quit the tutoring in order to be her boyfriend. Well if she can make him settle down, I hope they both will be happy,*_ the counselor thought to herself as she watched the couple walk off.

* * *

A few days later, Kathy approached her older brother and sweetly said, "My Angel,"

"What do you want?" Angel looked at his sister suspiciously, putting his fingertip to the spot he'd stopped reading.

"What makes you think that I want something?"

He cocked an eyebrow. "Cause the only times you call me 'My Angel' is when you are scared or you want something. And by the way that you are acting, you aren't scared. So, what do you want?"

Kathy sighed and said, "I just, you know, want to sit here on the couch with you and talk."

Angel put his book down and looked at his sister warily. He knew she was up to something, but he would just have to wait her out and play along, "Okay, what did you want to talk about?"

Kathy smiled and sat down, picking his book and making a show of yawning as she read the title. Then the little imp grinned, "Whacha doin'?"

"I was reading," and he snatched the book back.

"No, I mean tonight. What are you doing tonight?"

"I don't know, why?"

"Well...." She rushed through the rest of her sentence, "Do you think that you could possibly take Dawn and me to a movie?" she asked as she tried to hug him.

Angel was shocked at her request. His little sister had agoraphobia (a fear of public places and leaving a safe place). Whenever they went places, he was the one that asked her to go. And he didn't do that too often. This weekend, when he'd taken her and Buffy to see the La Niña, was something that he hated to do to his sister; but at the same time, he had given his word to Buffy. And Kathy was always okay as long as he or one of their parents were in sight. For Kathy to ***ask*** to go somewhere public, even go see a movie, it was a huge step for her and he was too stunned to say, "I told you so." Even though he had known that she wanted something, he couldn't believe that it was something like this. Normally, she would ask to go rent a few movies and stay in. He just looked at her, bewildered, and slowly said, "You want to go a movie?"

"Yeah." She was still hugging him, so her voice came a little muffled against his side. "I mean, you and Buffy could come along."

Angel felt like laughing, not at her but in happiness. "Kathy, if you and Dawn want to go to a movie, I'd be glad to take you. Even if Buffy doesn't want to go, I'll still go."

"Really?"

"Yeah." He hooked a finger under her chin and raised her head. "Why don't you and Dawn go pick out the movie and I'll talk to Buffy about it."

"Okay," Kathy said as she bounced along the hallway to her room.

Angel picked up the phone and dialed. Willow's voice answered. "Hey, Willow, is Buffy there?"

"Sure. Here she is," Willow said as she handed the phone to her roommate.

"Hey, you," Buffy said.

"Hey. Uh… we've been invited to go to the movies with our sisters. You wanna go?"

"I'd love to, Angel. But uh…well, I guess you were bound to find out sooner or later. I have a part time job waiting tables at The Outback and I have a shift tonight. I was just getting ready to go to work."

It was time to come clean, Angel thought. "Buffy, I knew about your job. You waited on me and Darla the night I found out I was going to be a father."

"Oh, God. I was hoping you wouldn't remember that."

"Photographic memory, remember," Angel laughed. "Besides, it's nothing to be ashamed of. What time do you get off of work tonight?"

"Uh, we close at ten so I should be off by ten-thirty. Why?"

Angel did a quick calculation. It was a school night; even if his sister was excepted from such boundaries, Joyce would surely prefer her daughter back early. "Maybe after I take Dawn and Kathy home we can do something."

"At 10:30 at night?" Buffy sounded dubious. "Like what?"

"I don't know." He really didn't. He just wanted to see her. "Maybe ice cream or a cup of coffee or we could go to a midnight movie."

"I'll think about it," Buffy laughed. "I have to go or I'll be late."

"Bye, I'll see you later," Angel said.

"See you later."

* * *

"Buffy, table ten, three people, requested," the hostess called out.

Buffy grabbed a loaf of bread, some butter and a knife then walked out into the dinning area. When she saw who was sitting in her section, all three with big grins on their faces, she grinned back. She brought the bread to their table and softly asked, "What do you want to drink, Angel?"

"Sweet Tea."

"Kathy, what you like?"

"Root beer."

"Root beer for you, Munchkin?" Dawn nodded her head and Buffy said, "I'll be right back." Buffy saw her manager in the kitchen and explained to him, "Hey, Andy, we're slow right now, can I take my dinner break?"

"Sure thing, Buffy," he answered automatically. Buffy never shirked her duties. But then he frowned, "What about your tables? Didn't I just hear you had a request?"

"That request is my boyfriend, his sister, and my sister."

Andy laughed, "Go spend some time with them. I'll send Susan out to wait on you."

"Thanks, Andy!" Buffy said as she grabbed two Sweet Teas and two root beers. "Guess what! Andy said I could take my break now. Susan's gonna be here in a minute to take our order."

Andy looked out into the dinning room and saw who Buffy had called her boyfriend. He'd seen him at the Outback several times before, and with several girls. _*I hope he doesn't break her heart and if it does work out, then I just lost one of my best waitresses.* _Andy thought as he searched for Susan, _*'Cause she won't need to work with all his money.*_

_

* * *

_

Just as Buffy was getting off work, her cell phone rang, "Buffy, I'm sorry to cancel our after work plans, but Kathy isn't feeling too safe right now."

"That's okay. Dinner more than made up for it. Thanks for coming by."

"We all enjoyed it. Hey, why don't you come by here?"

"Sure." If there was an extra bounce to her step, Buffy couldn't possibly be held accountable. She was too happy. "I'll be there as soon as I can. I'm getting in my car now."

* * *


	7. Chapter 06

* * *

Chapter Six

* * *

"Thanks for watching Kathy this week," Sean told his son.

"No problem, Dad." He looked fondly at the sullen teenager. "We had fun."

Beside them, her bags packed around her, Kathy pulled both his sleeves. "Do I have to leave? Can't I just move in with Angel?"

"What brought this on?" Patty asked, surprised at her daughter's eagerness.

"She made a friend. Buffy has a sister the same age and they spent every afternoon together. We even saw a couple of movies –at the theater."

Their parents beamed at the news. "That's wonderful, honey, but you can't move in with your brother. Sorry. But, I'm sure that you will be back to visit soon," Patty said gently.

"Okay," Kathy conceded.

"Oh, Angel," Sean remembered as he picked Kathy's bags. "There's a Ball in Los Vegas for the AIDS Awareness Foundation this Friday night. You will be there?"

"Yes, Sir, I'll be there."

"Black Tie. You have two tickets. Black Knights Hotel. We have Penthouse One reserved as usual."

"Thanks, Dad." Angel had a good idea who could use the second ticket.

Apparently, so did Kathy, "Yay, you'll get to suffer through the 'Buffy and Angel are in Luvvvvvv' show and see I wasn't exagger—eek!" She hid behind their mother when Angel made to reach for her. "Mooooooom!"

* * *

After his parents left, Angel's first action was to dial a familiar number. "Buffy? Um…my parents are putting together a charity ball this weekend in Los Vegas. It's for the AIDS Awareness Foundation. It's Black Tie. I have two tickets. I'd really like it if you could go with me."

"Angel, I would love to go, but…."

"You have to work." He wondered if she'd call in sick if he asked her to.

"No, I don't have to work this weekend. It's just…I don't have anything to wear." She was embarrassed by the fact she didn't have a formal dress nor could she really afford one. Her paycheck and tips helped to pay for her car insurance and other living expenses.

Angel smiled, "Buffy, if that's the only reason, I can buy your dress. I was going to anyway. Whenever I go to these charity balls, I always buy the dress for my dates." Well, most of them anyway. Darla had always insisted on buying her own dresses. His other dates, however, never could afford their dresses, so he told them where to go to pick it out and called ahead so the store would charge the dress and accessories to his account. He didn't see why they should miss out on the fun, if he could afford the clothes for them.

Buffy's eyes widened at the offer. "Really?"

"Really. I have to be there and I'd hate to go by myself." His next words were something he hadn't expected to say for years to come, if ever. "'Cause if you don't go with me, I'm not taking anyone else."

"Okay. I'll go."

"Great!"

* * *

Buffy had chosen a white satin strapless gown. The bodice was tight with a full skirt to it. There were white roses embroidered on the skirt and the bodice. The dress also had a white lace shawl with white roses on it. When she walked out of her room in the penthouse, Angel was floored, "You look gorgeous in that dress, Buffy."

"Thank you," Buffy's cheeks colored slightly with a pink blush.

"Are you ready?"

"Sure."

Angel turned to his younger sister and said, "Kathy, we're going down to the ball now. If you need any of us, just call one of the cell phones."

"Alright." The girl lifted an amused eyebrow at him. He was such a worrywart. "You do know that Mom and Dad have left me alone for a few hours before right?"

"Yes, I do, Kathy, but I also know that you don't like it."

"And that's why I'm here," Xander said, "I could have found a date, but the Princess here needs me." Buffy and Willow exchanged a knowing look. Xander hadn't been able to get a date, so the only reason he tagged along tonight was to watch Kathy. He and Kathy had struck up a friendship while she was staying with Angel and he was learning his job. But Xander didn't want Kathy to feel as though she was his second choice, so he lied about his dating prospects. Besides there was always….

"Xand, you're here to gamble," Willow laughed.

"That too."

Angel had gotten Buffy's friends some tickets. He had told them that they were comp tickets that his parents had gotten him for his friends. He had really paid for them, but he didn't want her friends to feel bad for not being able to pay for the tickets themselves. He had expected Xander to take one of the tickets but after Dawn had told him why Kathy was scared to be alone, he offered to stay with her. It surprised Patty, Sean, and Angel when Kathy readily agreed to it. Buffy later explained that she thought that Kathy might have a slight crush on Xander like Dawn did.

Willow had asked Wesley to go with her, and he'd agreed. They had been out a couple times in the two weeks or so that he had been staying with Giles; they'd just connected. Wesley was enrolling in Sunnydale University, to complete his Master's in Mythological Studies. He had a bachelor's degree in Chemistry and History. But with his mother's sudden passing, he opted to leave England and take his uncle up on his offer for a place to stay for a while. While he had been in Sunnydale, he had become fast friends with all of the Alpha Kappa Lambda Fraternity. Angel had offered him a place in the fraternity and he was considering on accepting. After all, he couldn't stay with his Uncle Rupert for the rest of his life.

Angel's closest friends were already down at the ball and they had bought their tickets at four hundred dollars each and two hundred dollars per dinner plate. After dinner there was dancing. Everyone who attended the ball in the ballroom of the Black Knights Hotel, which was owned and operated by MacKenzie Enterprises, enjoyed themselves.

* * *

The drinks were way over priced; but people who could afford the ball tickets, didn't mind paying extra in order to raise money for the charity. Buffy drank only non-alcoholic drinks all night. On the other hand, Angel had a few of glasses of wine and a couple of beers. He was in no way even close to being drunk. His parents knew that he had a high tolerance of alcohol and it would take a lot more to get their son drunk.

Maybe that was why they were shocked when they glanced out of the window and saw their son on the veranda down on one knee in front of his date.

* * *

"Buffy, I know that we just met and just started to date, but I know what I feel. I've never felt anything like this before. I … I know that you believe in Physic Powers – or E.S.P. at least. And because of E.S.P. we both know that we're soul mates, so why wait?" Angel went down on one knee and pulled a chain out from under his shirt. He took the small claddagh ring that was on it, and presented it to his beloved. The hands of the claddagh were white gold, the crown was made up of three diamonds, and a three-karat emerald was the heart. "Will you marry me?"

As Buffy looked down at the ring and her boyfriend, she had a flashback of her 'Wedding Dream'. She was speechless. She couldn't believe that it was coming true.

Angel wasn't sure why she wasn't saying anything. "Well, we could wait for a while. I'll wait as long as you want to. I just want the reassurance that we'll get married one day and I wanted you to have your ring."

"Huh?" Buffy said stunned. "I mean … yes! Yes, I'll marry you," she answered as she sank down to her knees to kiss him.

Mr. and Mrs. MacKenzie watched for a brief moment, both glad of the scene they were witnessing. They turned back to the dancing before they drew attention to the sweethearts outside. Angel would let everyone know in his own time. Right now was their time and they deserved the privacy.

* * *

The young man was nervous. It was obvious even to the middle-aged man who had met the younger man just a few times before. His ex-wife had only good things to say about the younger man, so he was puzzled as to what there was to be nervous about.

"Mr. Summers," the younger man began, "I invited you out to dinner so that we might be able to discuss something important." He was trying hard to be formal in this discussion. It was a little awkward, since he'd never had needed to act like this before and yet this was one situation that demanded formality. "I know that Buffy and myself are still in college. As you know we have dated for two years. We broke up when I moved to New York to attend college; but I am transferring back to Sunnydale University. Buffy and I are going to pick up where we left off in our relationship, with one exception – with your blessing, I hope." The young man took a deep breath before continuing and Hank Summers just sat there listening, knowing what was coming, "I'm asking for your daughter's hand in marriage, Sir."

"Mr. Finn, my ex-wife had a good opinion of you, and so did my daughter." In fact, Hank still remembered how happy Buffy had sounded that time she told him about Riley Finn. As many times before, he made a mental note to contact his daughter soon. "I would be honored to call you my son-in-law," Hank Summers smiled at his eldest daughter's high school boyfriend. "However, I do ask that you wait until you both have graduated from collage first."

"Of course, Sir. I had planned on waiting until getting a job as a psychologist before the wedding."

"Very well." Young Riley seemed reliable, with a good head on his shoulders and transparently in love with Buffy. "I see no reason why you couldn't ask her now if you wanted to. Don't worry, I won't say anything to Buffy or to Joyce until after you ask Buffy yourself."

"Thank you, Sir."

"Oh, please, call me Hank. We're practically family now." Both men either completely forgot that Buffy still needed to agree to marry Riley or they assumed that she'd accept his proposal.

The fact was that Riley hadn't talked to Buffy since he left for New York. When they'd broken up, he'd meant to find someone else in the city; but no girl compared to Buffy. It didn't cross his mind that she might have found somebody, much less that she already had a boyfriend. He just assumed that she was pining away for him like he was her.

* * *

Loud congratulations followed as soon as Buffy and Angel announced their engagement to family and friends. Xander's jaw dropped, while Drusilla smiled smugly. On the sidelines, Darla gave a little laugh and patted Lindsey's pocket. Lindsey obediently took out his wallet and handed Spike a crispy new bill, all the while muttering darkly about never more betting against the seer's boyfriend.

Patty and Sean were the first to reach out and squeeze Buffy into a hug. Kathy followed suit. "I was about to give up," Patty confessed as she kissed Buffy's forehead.

"Give her some breathing space, Mom," Angel said ruefully as he rescued his now fiancée from his overbearing parents – just to have her pulled away by an enthusiastic Willow. The redhead had drunk a couple glasses of wine too many and had been about to retire to bed, half-supported by Wesley, until she caught sight of Buffy's new ring. "Is that--- Oh my God!" Just liked that, she'd sobered up, waved away her date's hands and practically pounced on her friend for details.

Angel was more than happy to provide them. "I gotta tell you," he added at the end of the story, "I was scared there for a minute that she was going to turn me down. She just stared at the ring."

Buffy laughed when her fiancé said that, "I was just so stunned. I couldn't believe that my 'Wedding Dream' is about to come true." Most of them looked puzzled at the dream reference, but Willow muttered a reproachful "Told you so." and Xander nodded. Buffy allowed herself a last blinding smile before her tone turned more serious. "But I think that we should we wait until Angel gets his master's at least. Or until I get my bachelor's, whichever comes first."

"Buffy, if you're worried about a job, you don't have to be. Angel already does work for M.E. and receives a salary for it. He does it all by computer, so he can stay in school," Sean told his future daughter-in-law.

"Really?" Buffy looked at the man that she was going to marry. He worked for the company? She hadn't known that – what else didn't she know? And wouldn't she find out all those things after the wedding, another little voice told her. She already knew that Angel was her dream, why wait? Buffy shook her head at herself. "I'm also only eighteen and we really need to get to know each other a little better." She really was trying to be logical when all she wanted to do was go down the street to the Chapel of Love and marry the man sitting beside her holding her hand.

Little did she know that the man who was holding her hand wanted to do the same thing – and grasped for the same straws of logic. "Yeah. It takes time to plan a wedding, doesn't it?"

"Oh, if you get married in June, you have plenty of time to plan a real nice wedding," Willow said.

Everyone laughed as Buffy and Angel looked at each other and silently decided that it would be hard to wait until June, but it was the best option. It was Buffy who said, "So how does June third sound to you?"

Angel grinned. "Sounds perfect."

They fell into a happy silence, and the whole room quieted down for a moment.

"Did they just set a date?" Kathy asked.

Spike chuckled as he watched the engaged couple who were lost in their own world, "I think so, Little Bit."

Buffy dragged her eyes away from her fiancé to secure another detail in her perfect wedding. "Oh, Willow, will you be my maid of honor?"

"Sure."

"And Kathy, would like to be a Jr. bridesmaid?"

Kathy sat up and said, "Of course!"

Then Buffy turned to Xander.

He noticed and playfully raised his hands in self-defense. "Hey, I'm sure Will and the munchkin will love dressing up; but I've heard about your perfect wedding enough times. Green is not my color."

Everybody rolled their eyes, then chuckled when Buffy put on an innocent face. "Green? I was thinking more like orange." She squinted at her old friend and tilted her head, "You'd all look dashing in a mix of orange and blue, don't you think, girls?"

Darla and Patty laughed outright. Kathy looked slightly alarmed; but Willow nodded good-naturally. "It'd go perfect with my hair."

Xander looked between his best friends and conceded defeat.

Buffy laughed. "Oh Xander, would you like to light the candles?"

"Sure, Buff." He even straightened and saluted.

"Candles?" Angel asked.

"Yeah, I've always dreamed about a candle-lit wedding at sundown. Is that alright with you?"

Angel smiled, "Sure. Whatever you want, we'll make it happen."

"Do you know who you want as your best man?" Buffy asked.

"Well, Spike's my oldest friend. I mean, we've been friends ever since before we got our nicknames," Angel said. "So how about it, William, you up for the task?"

Between the two of them, Christian names were only used on momentous occasion. Marriage certainly counted as one. "Sure thing, Liam." One arm around Drusilla and another around Darla, Spike gave him the thumbs-up. "Anything you need, just let me know."

Sean coughed and the younger people stopped their conversations. "So, Angel, this summer, I want you to take a break from school and learn my job." Angel must have let his thoughts show, because his father added, "Don't worry. I won't hand over M.E. to you just yet, but you will need to know how to run M.E. if something happens to your mother and I. It's just precautionary. I'm sure if you really wanted to, everything I do can be done by computer. Even the trips I take can be done in the summer and during holidays, so you can still teach. I know it's important to you to get a teaching job. I just want you to be prepared in case of an emergency, is all."

Angel nodded his head in agreement. It really was past due. He should have learned his father's job when he turned twenty-one, but he had put it off. Now he couldn't do it anymore. He was going to get married and he had promised his dad that when he got married he would learn how to run M.E. in case anything happened to his parents. His dad's motto was "Prepare for the worse, pray and hope for the best."

Sean and Patty just beamed at each other and then saw that Kathy was about to fall back to sleep. They hated to wake her, but they knew that she should hear the news with the rest of them. They tapped Kathy on the shoulder and led her off to bed and went to their own bedroom.

The penthouse was like a huge one story house. They had a kitchenette, three full bathrooms, ten small bedrooms, a living area, and a veranda. Only those who wanted to share a bed were sharing and the others had their own bedrooms. Eventually, everyone else also went to bed leaving only Buffy and Angel sitting on the couch planning the wedding. When Angel saw Buffy was fighting to stay awake, he walked her to her bedroom door, and kissed her goodnight. The kiss turned so passionate that he was afraid that he wouldn't be able to stop. All he wanted to do was ravish his fiancée but she had taken a vow of purity and he wasn't about ask her break that vow. He reluctantly stopped kissing her and just held her close to him.

Buffy whimpered when he stopped, "Why'd you stop?"

"Because, if I don't do it now, I won't be able to stop."

"And that's bad how?"

"Because you've taken a vow and I don't want you to break it because of me."

"But…"

"No buts, Buffy. I gave my baby sister a ring just like that and I'm only doing what I hope her future boyfriends and future fiancé will do." Buffy smiled. Angel swallowed hard; there was an option, a crazy option. "I know that we agreed to wait until June third, but... would it break your heart if we just went down the street to The Chapel of Love…."

"No, let's go!" Buffy interrupted, smiling and pulling Angel toward the door.

"Hold on a minute," Angel laughed, "Since everyone's here…"

"You go wake up your side, I'll go wake up my side," Buffy said as she went to wake up her two best friends and her cousin from London.

* * *


	8. Chapter 07

* * *

Chapter Seven

* * *

Back when Sean and Patty were planning their wedding they had considered having their wedding here. So he knew that this was the best Chapel of Love in Las Vegas. In the end he'd married Patty in a Catholic wedding in Ireland, because that'd been their parents' wish and at that time they couldn't have afforded to have their wedding the way that they wanted. Only after the wedding did Sean's father give him control over the M.E. Enda MacKenzie had started M.E. as a way of getting rich and while it took him twenty-five years to get to a point where he would never have to work again, his plan worked. He told his son that if he worked hard, in twenty-five years he could pass M.E. down to his eldest child and never have to work again.

That was thirty years ago and Sean had turned M.E. into an international enterprise. He had added a lot of companies to M.E. Some he bought out and some he started up himself. He enjoyed his work and didn't want to quit. Especially since his wife was his partner and enjoyed the work as much as he did. So when Angel showed an interest in teaching and not really running the business, it only bothered him a little. Kathy had told him that she wanted to take over the company, and it only worried him that something would happen to him and his wife before Kathy was ready. After all accidents happened all the time. He and Patty could be driving along the road and loose control of the car, or they could get hit by some one else and.... Well, what would happen to Kathy and Angel if neither of them knew how to run the company and their parents could no longer do it? So that was why he was insisting on Angel learning how to run M.E.

While Sean and Patty were securing the chapel for the wedding ceremony, Angel and Buffy went to get the marriage license and then they met their family and friends at one of the twenty-four hour Chapel of Love. The Chapel that they were getting married at normally worked on a reservation only system. But Sean had convinced them that since they didn't have any reservations for this time of the night (almost morning, really) it wouldn't hurt anything for them to allow his son to get married at the chapel. _Convinced_ meaning he gave them a sizably larger quantity of more money than their normal fee.

Because Sean knew about this chapel, he knew that they had several packages. He picked the largest package and paid extra for all of the pictures instead of only the limited amount of pictures that were included.

* * *

When Angel and Buffy arrived with the marriage license, Buffy was wearing the gown she wore to the ball. Angel had offered to take her to an all night wedding shop, but she'd reasoned that she didn't want wait any longer and the dress was white and looked like it could have been made for a wedding. Angel was in his tux from last night and everyone else was also wearing their ball formal clothes. Patty had taken Kathy to get a formal dress while Xander went in search to rent a tux.

Buffy and the girls were rushed into a room where they were given facials and had their hair done. Patty also had the presence of mind to pick up a veil for Buffy while she'd been shopping with Kathy. "I didn't know if you wanted a veil that goes over your face or not," she said as she presented the item to her future daughter-in-law, "so I got you one that would look great both ways."

Buffy looked at the veil in awe. It had a tiara made out of pearls, and Patty had obviously taken the work to look for one where the lace matched the lace in her shawl. "Thank you. You didn't have to…"

"I know, Buffy, but I wanted to. This is huge for us and we're just happy for the both of you."

Buffy looked around. Darla and Drusilla had taken Willow under their very fashionable wings, and were trying to talk her redheaded friend into a dyeing job. Meanwhile Kathy defended Willow's natural hair color, but was pointing to an extravagant hairstyle Buffy knew Willow would never wear. It was all so.... "I'm just overwhelmed," she confessed sheepishly. "I never thought a wedding in Vegas y'know?"

Patty nodded her head. She had never thought that her son would get married spur-of-the-moment like this. She had always imagined it would be the bride dragging him kicking and screaming down the aisle – figuratively of course. But she had thought that there would have been a very long engagement with at least two date changes – each pushing the wedding back for some reason or another. But she wasn't going to complain. Dru had seen this young woman as her son's soulmate (a good argument, since she'd seen the brunette's predictions come true for the last decade) and Buffy seemed nice. As long as she treated Angel right, Patty wouldn't have anything bad to say about her to anyone. Oh, she knew that she and her daughter-in-law would disagree on some things and they might even argue, but that would stay between them. Buffy had continued talking during Patty's musings, "I mean, ever since I was a little girl, I've had this reoccurring dream about my wedding. It's always the same, except sometimes the people's faces come into focus. That happens usually right before I meet the person. This isn't like I'd dreamt at all, but maybe it's not supposed to be."

"Or maybe it is." Buffy looked at her mother-in-law, confused, so Patty continued, "Maybe you're supposed to get married first, then have the big wedding later. If I know my son, he's not going to want the press to know about this. He tries to keep his personal life private. Especially after what happened to Kathy. I don't blame him really." She took the veil from Buffy's hands and passed it to the hairdresser. The woman studied it for a moment and then excused herself to go for some special pins. Patty took the chance to elaborate on the subject. "When Angel and Kathy were born, we were so proud of them both. We showed them to the press every chance we got. Then Kathy was kidnapped. We started hiding her from the press. Angel started to shy away from the press as well, unless he thought that they were going after Kathy, then he did something to take the attention off of her and put it on himself."

_*All those tabloids,*_ Buffy thought. _*They were true, but at the same time....*_

Patty's knowing nod signaled that she'd followed Buffy's reasoning. "We're not the type of celebrities that people want our autographs, but they still want to know what we do when we're not ready for them, how we react, what our 'real' personalities are, what's just an act for interviews and the cameras and what's not. They have on occasions tried to film and take pictures without our knowledge. They have mainly gone after Angel because of his lifestyle and claim to never be monogamous. It's nobody's business how you two handle your private life; but when the press hears that he has married, it's going to be big news." She made a pause, giving Buffy some time to adjust to the idea. After so many years of dating one girl after the other, the press had no interest in Angel's girlfriends. Once they found out that Buffy was his wife... all bets would be off. "Oh," she heard Buffy's faint whisper, then noticed that the future bride was biting her lip – not only endangering her make up but looking suddenly apprehensive. "Angel will protect you as long as possible," she reassured the girl, "In order to do that, he may just put his own spin on it. Announce an engagement first then a big wedding for the public. It may be that for months only those close to you and Angel know about this wedding," Patty smiled as she spoke softly. Buffy smiled back at her. "I'm so glad that Angel has found you. Just treat him right. And if he doesn't treat you right – just let me know. I'll make sure it never happens again."

Buffy had never had anyone's mother treat her so kindly. The woman was entrusting her son to her, without knowing her for that long. "I've never been rich," Buffy started, feeling the need to come clean to Angel's mother. "My dad is a manager of a Sears where he met my step-mom and my mom owns a struggling gallery that barely pays for itself. My step-dad is a high school librarian. The only way I'm even in school is because of a scholarship and I wait tables at The Outback Steakhouse to pay for what the scholarship doesn't cover and my living expenses." She didn't mention Andy's generosity; she was embarrassed enough. "I've even been trying to call my dad ever since I moved into the dorms, but he or my step-mom never answers or returns my calls. He did give me a car for high school graduation, for which he only paid the down payment so I have to pay for the notes and the insurance. How can you really think I'm right for your son, Mrs. MacKenzie?"

"Oh, please call me 'Patty' until you get comfortable enough to call me 'Mom'." If she'd ever doubted Angel's choice, that stopped now that she'd witnessed Buffy's natural candor. "And I know you're right for my son, because I see the way that he looks at you and the way you look at him. I see the love in your eyes each time you look at each other even when you think no one else is watching. It's the same way that Sean and I have always looked at each other."

Pins in hand, the attendant came back to stand before Buffy. "Miss Summers, is the veil going over your face?" she asked.

"Uh, yeah."

The hairdresser put the finishing touches on Buffy's hair and stepped back to review her work. Mrs. MacKenzie had asked for the best, so she pushed a stubborn tendril of hair into place and finally nodded in satisfaction. Then, carefully, she attached the tiara and arranged the lacy veil over the blonde's face. "You're ready to get married." The woman smiled at the slip of a girl in front of her. She couldn't wait to tell her friends she'd taken care of the MacKenzie bride

"Thank you," Buffy said shyly.

"Oh, Kathy, if I know your brother, he hasn't thought of wedding rings," Patty said as she took the claddagh off of Buffy's finger and gave it to her daughter. "Go give this to him and get his claddagh and bring it back to Buffy." As Kathy ran off to do her chore, Patty explained, "Claddaghs are traditional wedding rings in Ireland. When Angel turned twenty-one we gave him a pair. One for his future bride and one for him. They can be worn all the time. If it is worn on your right hand and the heart is pointing out, it means that you are looking for love, if the heart is pointing in it means that your heart is spoken for, when worn on the left hand the heart points toward you and it means that you are married." She lifted her left hand to show her own ring. "Angel has always worn his Claddagh on his right hand, the heart pointing out. The crown stands for loyalty, the hands for friendship, the heart for love," she pointed to the small engravings as she explained them, "and the ring itself stands for devotion – the very essence of what marriage should be. When we gave him the set, he put the lady's ring on a chain which he always wore around his neck. He told us it was so that when the time was right he'd have it. I just thought it was to make us happy, but he had it tonight when he needed it," she smiled.

Buffy smiled back, fully understanding the meaning of the ring that her beloved had given her earlier. A few minutes later, Kathy came back into the room and gave her about-to-be-sister her brother's ring.

* * *

"Liam, Son, it's none of my business how you and Buffy run your marriage. I just wanted to tell you that…I…Well, son, I sense that Buffy is different – the polar opposite – of Darla. I don't know what you've talked about and I don't want to know. Just treat her right, Son. I know that a lot of our acquaintances, and even some of our friends, have what they call an 'Open Marriage'. I believe that only leads to heartache. It may seem good down on paper, but you still feel the betrayal."

Angel knew what his dad was talking about. He had seen it at work in Darla's parents. But until now, he never understood why it didn't really bother him when saw Darla -- or any of the other women he had slept with – with another man. He now realized that he hadn't love them, not the way that he was supposed to love a girlfriend or wife. In contrast, the very thought of Buffy with someone else made him jealous and hurt; while the idea of her hurting if she found out he was with someone else made him nauseous. So he was determined not to cheat on her. The fact that he hadn't slept with anyone since she had waited on him and Darla at The Outback the night he found out he was going to be a father was a good sign – at least he thought so. "You're right, Dad. There are some things that Buffy and Darla are polar opposites on. Sex is one. Darla doesn't like commitment and I guess since she was my first, I had held out hope that we would end up together. When she told me that she was pregnant, she asked me to get a paternity test because she hoped that I was the father, but she didn't know. I asked her right then to marry me." He chucked wryly, remembering her firm response. "She didn't want us to end like her parents -- hating each other because she knew that she could never be faithful. She said..." He paused, trying to remember her exact words. Few people could get to the point like Darla did. "She said that she would rather loose our sexual relationship and keep our friendship than for us to end up hating each other. I didn't understand until that night. After I took the test and they confirmed I was the father, I took her to The Outback Steakhouse to eat. Buffy was our waitress. It was the first time I saw her. We didn't talk much. Darla and I were more focused on the pregnancy to talk to anyone else. That night Darla came back to my room and we started to…but I couldn't. All I could see was Buffy's face." In hindsight, it was so easy to know why. At the time, he'd just been confused at his own behavior. "I haven't been with anyone since. And yet at the same time I'm terrified that I'll slip up, all I can see is her face full of hurt and it makes sick."

"Keep that image in your head, son, and it will keep you on the straight and narrow," Sean laughed. "But I'm curious, I've always pictured you delaying your wedding as long as possible. What's the rush?"

Kathy had walked right as her father was asking the question and answered before Angel could say anything, "Because she has a Purity Ring and Mr. Hormones over there can't control himself." She looked at her brother challengingly, daring him to contradict her. "They're getting married now so that she doesn't break her vow." She walked over to her brother and handed him the Claddagh, "Here."

In an instant, Angel's half-embarrassed, half-murderous expression turned horrified and heartbroken. "She changed her mind?"

Kathy thought for a brief second about joking around with her brother, but as soon as she saw the look on his face, she just couldn't be that cruel. She just laughed and rolled her eyes, "No, you silly goose! You need a weddin' band. Now give me yours so I can give it to Buffy. Mama said."

Angel sighed, relieved, and gave his sister his Claddagh. His father laughed; that his son, gifted with photographic memory, hadn't remembered such an important detail. "Your mother thinks of everything. You forgot to pick up wedding rings, didn't you?"

"To be honest, Dad, it didn't even cross my mind."

"Your sister right about the Purity Ring?"

Angel looked at his father trying to find the best way to answer, he finally decided to answer with a question, "Does it make me a bad person?"

"No, Son. It means you respect her enough to wait. That's a good thing," Sean said, staring proudly at his son. A few minutes later, an attendant, came to get them. It was time to start the wedding.

* * *

It was a traditional wedding with Willow as Maid of Honor and Spike as Best Man. The wedding package came with a custom made Bride's Bouquet. Buffy had asked for a dozen red rose teardrop bouquet. She also asked for Willow to have a dozen yellow rose teardrop bouquet, which the MacKenzies paid for. Accordingly, Spike's boutonnière was a yellow rose and Angel's, a red rose.

Despite having seen Buffy in the white gown all night, the veil was new and it completed the look. Angel was once again floored at how beautiful his bride was.

Xander had rented a tux and he was given a yellow rose boutonnière. He had the honor of giving one of his best friends away.

Buffy and Angel kept their vows traditional. After the short ceremony, they took pictures and then they were able to have a first Bride/Groom dance to Storybook Love (from the Princess Bride Soundtrack). They then went back to the hotel. Angel carried her not only over the threshold of the penthouse, but all the way to his room. Once his door was closed he began kissing her. He whispered, "Don't worry the room is sound proofed."

Buffy laughed, "Why is it all the rooms you claim as your own are sound proofed?"

A question with an impossible answer. "Because my parents thought it was wise to sound proof my rooms," Angel answered evasively and captured her lips with his as he laid his wife on the bed.

When they parted to breathe, Buffy said, "I love you." She saw the stunned look on her husband's face and asked, "What?"

"That's the first time you said that."

"It is?" Buffy was genuinely confused. She could have sworn that she had told him before now. "Well, I thought it a lot before."

"Me too. I love you," Angel said as he began making love for the time in his life.

* * *

"That was…Wow."

"Yeah. Wow," Angel agreed as he kissed his wife again. He just couldn't get enough of her.

"Is it always that … intense?"

"That the first time it's ever been that intense for me," Angel answered honestly.

"I want…"

"You can't want more already, huh?"

"No, I'm pleasantly numb. I was just thinking. My mom doesn't know that I got married."

Angel reached over, grabbed the phone, handed it to her and grinned, "You want to call her?"

Buffy laughed and picked up the phone and dialed. Angel hit the speaker phone when it started to ring.

"Buffy? Is everything alright?" Joyce asked as she picked up the phone, having noticed that the Caller Id was from the hotel that Buffy was staying at in Las Vegas.

"Everything's fine, Mom," Buffy giggled. " I have something to tell you."

Joyce interrupted her daughter, "Please, Buffy, don't tell me that you got married." She then realized what she had just said, and quickly added, "I mean I would be happy for you, if you did. But I want to be there when my baby girl gets married."

The first sentence had done it's damage though and Angel could see the hurt in his wife's eyes. So he spoke up, "No, Mrs. Giles. I asked Buffy to marry me and she said yes. The wedding isn't until June. We just didn't want to wait until we got home to tell you, is all."

"Oh Buffy, that's wonderful! We can talk all about it when you get home, okay?"

"Yeah, Mom," Buffy said, trying to sound bright.

If Joyce noticed the tears in her daughter's voice, she thought it was due to happiness so she didn't comment. "Don't worry about the cost, Baby. Your father and I have been saving for this and even Rupert's been helping."

"Mrs. Giles," Angel cut in.

"Joyce, please, Angel. Call me Joyce."

"Mrs. Joyce, save that money for Dawn's and Malissa's weddings. I **want** to pay for our wedding."

"Angel…"

"I insist."

"Well at least let us get her dress."

"We'll talk about it when we get home alright?"

"Alright. Oh and congratulations, Buffy. I love you, Honey."

"Love you too, Mom," Buffy said as she hung up the phone.

Angel placed the phone on the end table that was beside their bed and hugged his wife close to him, "I mean it, Buffy. We'll pay for everything. You want it, just say it. You don't have to worry how much it costs."

"I'm not used to that," Buffy mused.

"What?"

"Not having to worry about cost."

"Well, get used to it. 'Cause everything that I own, is now yours too."

"Angel, I know we haven't really had the time to talk about things like this, but what about my job at The Outback?"

"If you want to keep working there, I don't have a problem with it. If you want to quit, I don't have a problem with that either. It's your decision."

"I think I'd like to keep working for a while."

"Okay."

"Also, I know technically I will be the baby's step-mother, but I don't like that term. Could I just the baby's second mom? Mommy number two?"

Angel was touched and he grinned when he said, "Of course."

"You don't think Darla will mind?"

The whirlwind of the last hours hadn't given him and Darla time to discuss Buffy's role in the baby's life; but if he had to go by her attitude towards his wife in the last weeks, then... "No, I really don't think Darla will mind at all."

* * *


	9. Chapter 08

* * *

Chapter Eight

* * *

"Kathy, leave them alone," Patty told her daughter.

"But, Mom, I just want to tell him 'Bye'," Kathy whined.

"Kathy, your brother just got married. Leave them alone," Patty said sternly.

"It's okay, we have a system." Kathy knocked on the door and started to count out loud, "30, 29, 28, 27, 26,"

Scene Divider

"25, 24,…"

Angel practically shot out of the bed, tossing the covers aside as he headed to the pile of their clothes. "Buffy, hurry," Angel hissed as he grabbed his shirt and grabbed a pair of shorts for himself.

"23, 22, 21, 20..."

"What's going on?" Buffy asked as she heard counting coming from outside the door.

"Kathy's about to come in."

"19, 18, 17..."

Buffy pulled the sheets around herself, looking at him with wide eyes. "What?"

"16, 15..."

Angel looked around. Her only piece of clothing in view was her discarded wedding gown.

"14, 13, 12, 11..."

"Take this." Angel flung the shirt at her. "I'm going to _kill_ that girl," he muttered as he pulled the shorts up his legs.

"10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. I'm coming in now!" Kathy yelled at the same time she jingled the doorknob. "Morning. Just wanted to let you know that we're leaving. I'll see you when I see you."

"Yeah," Angel said as he looked to make sure his wife had put on his shirt and was decent.

"Sorry to interrupt. Mom told me not to, but I had to come and say 'goodbye'."

Buffy rose from the bed and headed to the bathroom. "Kathy, it's no problem." She reached behind the bathroom door and pulled out the robe hanging there. "I'm glad you came in because we need to talk to everybody," Buffy told her new sister as she put the robe on.

* * *

"Morning, everybody," Buffy started to say. "We...uh…called my mom this morning and she seemed to...uh…she didn't want to hear that we got married. So, we told her that we just got engaged and that the wedding's in June. So, please don't tell anyone that we're already married."

"And for those of us who might come in contact with the press, Buffy and I will announce the public engagement when we feel the time is right. Same thing with announcing it to the fraternity." Angel looked at his sister and said, "Kathy, that means that you can _not_ let it slip to Dawn that Buffy and I are already married."

"Got it. It's a secret."

"Yep, that's it."

"So, this is just so Buffy doesn't get in trouble?" Kathy asked.

"No, Kathy, it's deeper than that." Buffy sighed. "My mom said she wanted to be there when I got married. I just don't **want** her hurt because she wasn't here, but you were."

"Oh okay. Cool. Keep secret so Mrs. Giles doesn't get hurt. Or Dawn. 'Cause wouldn't Dawn be hurt if she knew I was there but she wasn't? I don't want to hurt my only friend."

Buffy thought a moment and said, "Yes, I'm sure that Dawn would be hurt, too."

Kathy made a motion of locking her lips and throwing away the key.

Angel and Buffy smiled. "Thanks," Buffy said.

* * *

It didn't take long after the parental figures left for the younger people to remember that Las Vegas had more to offer than impulsive weddings. Namely, casinos. Xander was the first to propose the idea, since his plan to go to the casino next door and indulge in some gambling after Kathy's parents returned last night had been forgotten in the excitement of the new engagement.

Xander thought that it was unusual for the casino to be seprate from the hotel, but Mr. and Mrs. MacKenzie had explained that with their Catholic background they didn't feel right owning a casino. Darla's parents, however, had no such convictions and had built a casino right next door to the hotel. Xander remembered asking why they even owned a hotel in Vegas, if they didn't want to own a casino. He remembered Patty's answer, "Because there is more to Las Vegas than just casinos. There's charity events, theatres, theme parks. We wanted a family friendly hotel. So our shuttles will take you to any place that any person of any age can enjoy. We even own a theme park and a couple of theatres for converts, plays, operas, and such." Xander had to agree that most everything in Las Vegas was adult centered and their really needed to be stuff for the kids to enjoy. (He, Willow, and Buffy had gotten a hold of some fake IDs so that they could get into the casinos, although it looked as if Buffy wouldn't be needing hers.)

Lindsey, who'd been sweet-talking Darla into more private accommodations, raised his head at Xander's idea and seconded it instantly. From across the room Spike laughed, "Looking to make up for your losses, mate?" Lindsey shrugged and, showing he hadn't forgotten his interlocutor for one second, lifted Darla's hand smoothly to his lips and kissed it. "Looking to take proper care of a lady," he corrected. "How else could I expect her to have dinner with me?"

Darla lifted an eyebrow. "You're saying I'm high-maintenance?

A few chuckles, amused from the girls and pitying from the men, told Lindsey that he'd just walked into a trap. He paused, but never lost his footing, "You're saying I should care? Have dinner with me, Dar."

To his luck, Darla smiled at his answer and opened her mouth into a 'yes'. But instead it was a male voice which reached Lindsey's ears:

"Nuh-uh. We're all having dinner together tonight, remember?" Angel merely lifted an eyebrow at Lindsey's murderous glare. "We agreed it was a unique opportunity to hang out without Alpha Kappa Lambda business interrupting us."

Lindsey looked about to retort, but Wesley beat him to it. "Ah... I do believe that happened before you got married?" The English man gave Angel a hopeful glance and then slanted his eyes towards the redhead sitting next to Buffy. He'd been meaning to ask Willow out for a Las Vegas evening on their own, too, maybe test the waters about a serious relationship.

Angel almost rolled his eyes. What was it with everybody suddenly pairing up? *_Says the recently married guy.* _

Recognizing an opening when he saw one, Lindsey spoke up, "Yeah, Angel. And there I thought newlyweds were supposed to be all over each other."

As a response, Buffy sneaked her arms around her husband's neck and lifted herself onto his lap. Angel looked a little surprised, but not so much that he didn't put his arms around her in obvious welcome. "These newlyweds are fine, thank you."

The only other formal couple in the room, Dru and Spike, unconsciously imitated them and drifted closer to each other. Spike smiled up lazily, content with Dru's dark head weighing on his shoulder, and addressed Buffy, "You sure you want us coming back here, pet?" He threaded his fingers through the long tresses falling down Drusilla's shoulders and onto his chest. "Because we wouldn't want to interrupt – anything. If we had to stay out in the cold so you could properly drag that frat tyrant into your bedroom...."

The 'frat tyrant' looked ready to throw something heavy at his best friend. "Spike..."

The blond ignored him and instead waggled a suggestive eyebrow at Buffy. "Unless you found something defective?"

That did it. Buffy flushed hotly and was severely tempted to hide her face against Angel's neck. But this was one of her husband's oldest friends, she realized, and along with the other couple dozens Alpha Kappa Lambda brothers at the mansion, her housemate for months to come. Spike and his sharp humor wouldn't disappear from her life, and if she didn't prove now that she could stand up to it – when would she?

"Well..." Buffy stalled as she lifted one hand to caress Angel's hair and put the other to his chest so she could straighten a little. She gave him a long look, starting with his tight abdomen and up until their eyes connected. Her flustered reaction was well hidden by then. "I found him quite adequate," and before anyone pointed out that 'quite adequate' had never figured in the descriptions from Angel's long list of conquests, Buffy rounded up her courage and leaned down for a hot kiss. Long seconds later the kiss broke and Buffy found herself the center of attention.

"I'm starting to side with Spike here," Xander broke the silence and cleared his throat a little. "You guys look like you are ready to, um..."

"We'd understand if you needed some extra space today," Wesley tactfully stepped in.

Buffy smiled widely. "We have to come up for air and food sometime. Besides, dinner together should be fun." When every one, including a half-dazed Angel, looked at her skeptically, she shrugged and said, "Come on, you've never tried building some suspense before the main dish?"

Darla's delicate laugh rang across the living room. Everybody soon joined in. "I'm sure you'll be having tea up here while we make more money than God at the tables," Lindsey drawled, throwing an arm around the blonde beside him. Darla gave a pointed look at the hand that'd landed on her shoulder and started caressing it; but otherwise let the intimate gesture slip.

"Or... playing cards!" Buffy gave her best friend a disbelieving look. She hadn't expected a jibe from this particular quarter. Willow shrugged helplessly, "This _is_ Las Vegas. People come to play cards all the time!"

"I'm sure we'll find plenty to play with," Buffy answered primly. Then closed her mouth with a snap. A roar of laughter was the predictable answer, and this time Buffy didn't hesitate to bury her flaming face against Angel's shoulder.

Spike was one of the first to recover, and he continued playing absently with Drusilla's long hair as he nodded to what she was whispering into his ear. "Yes, luv. A real box of surprises." He eyed Angel's wife with fondness. "At least we won't be bored," he added as he rubbed his cheek against the top of her head; then, louder, "Careful, Angel, she sounds like she means business."

Angel's answer was a wide smile. "Isn't she perfect?" The male half of the room rolled their eyes, while the girls sighed a little dreamily and looked at their (possibly) significant others – which promptly reminded the guys not to show any exasperation at the behavior of a man in love. No matter how far he'd fallen. "You heard my wife," Angel continued, too distracted by said wife to mind his friends' reaction. "Go downstairs, have fun, win back the money from that bet I never heard about –" Lindsey and Spike looked up in brief alarm, but their president's mood was really as good as to not to care. "- and then come back at six sharp. No exceptions."

The others nodded, and stood from their seats. At the door, Xander stopped Willow and motioned her to turn around. Buffy and Angel were still sitting on the chair, sharing a much softer, and somehow more intimate kiss than the one they'd witnessed earlier. "They look happy," Willow said cheerfully.

Xander had to nod at that. He may have had some doubts about the rushed wedding; but they were gone now. Instead of confessing his earlier hesitancy, he wiped an imaginary tear off his cheek. "Our little girl is finally growing up, Wills."

Willow rolled her eyes and pulled him out of the room.

* * *

The nine of them did have dinner together, a loud, friendly affair that ended none too soon for Buffy and Angel. Drusilla took a long look at the newlyweds and suddenly announced she had a headache. Spike was at her side in a second, offering his hand to pull her up and peering into her face worriedly. "Must be the heat," she murmured, swaying lightly.

Spike frowned for a second, since the AC system allowed them a comfortable temperature. Then he followed his girlfriend's eyes and it made sense. "Of course, luv." He traced her cheek with his thumb lovingly before he turned back to face the table. "Been a lovely evening and all, but my girl needs some rest. Hope y'all – " He focused on Buffy. "- enjoy an 'adequate' bout of sleep." He quirked his lips upwards at the blonde's blush. It really was too easy.

Drusilla tugged lightly on his arm, so Spike waved a quick goodbye and followed her out of the room. "You are creative," she complimented him, eyes focused and headache completely forgotten. "My favorite wild card." She stopped before their appointed room, and gestured him to stay outside while she stepped in. Seconds later the door was slung open and she was there, purse in hand and a poker chip between her teeth. She smiled as Spike took the chip and twirled it in the air. "Be my wild card tonight?"

"Anything to please my princess," he said, smug that the previous mission had been accomplished so quickly. Behind them he could already hear chairs scraping against the floor as people got to their feet.

After his comment, it hadn't taken long for the others to realize that the married couple had eyes only for each other, and that privacy would be much appreciated on this second night after their wedding.

Lindsey was the first to stand up, giving Darla an entreating glance. The blonde finally shrugged and rose after him, exchanging easy good byes with the others before she let Lindsey share his plans for the rest of the night. "Have the lovebirds even noticed we're leaving?" Lindsey's amused voice carried back soon afterwards. Darla's answer was just as amused. "Angel waved me goodbye. I think."

Right now Angel was busy feeding Buffy a piece of his chicken

"Well, I guess it's the three of us at the roulette," Xander announced, giving Willow and Wesley a smile.

Willow was about to nod, when Wesley coughed nervously. "I... ah...." He reached into his pocket and showed two small slips of paper. Tickets. "Well, I managed to find these still available and I was wondering if... But, if you'd rather spend time next door... I mean, it's not as if...."

While the older man was busy finding the right phrasing, Xander had noticed the excitement in his friend's eyes. "It's okay, man. Taking your best girl friend along kinda dampens the babe-magnet effect anyway."

Willow automatically turned to Buffy, expecting a grin at the 'babe-magnet' reference. Instead her friend seemed to be carefully deliberating the exact color of her husband's eyes. "Um. I guess we should leave now," she said loudly.

No response.

Wesley nodded and, ever the gentleman, helped her out of her chair. "We don't want to be late, no." Neither mentioned they still had an hour before the show started.

Five minutes later, Xander's loud sigh actually managed to break the spell.

Buffy blinked a couple of times, looking surprised at finding the table empty bar the three of them. Her new husband didn't fare much better. "Ah, Xander," Angel began, but he obviously couldn't think of any conversation opener.

Xander sighed again. "Don't bother; I'm leaving." And he rose to demonstrate just that. "I just wanted to make sure you were really alive behind all that heavy staring. Can't be healthy, man."

Angel looked confused; but, well used to her friend's ways, Buffy simply chuckled and shook her head. "Just wait 'til you're the one in love," and she gave Angel an adoring look.

"Can we wait until I'm actually out of the room?" Xander pleaded, only half joking.

Buffy seemed to pick on his mood. "You okay, Xand'?"

"Just peachy. Lone-Rangerin' with the best of them." But there were only two things in the world Alexander Lavelle Harris couldn't fight. A girl pulling him into a kiss (which had never happened, but Xander was sure he wouldn't fight it), and one of his best friends arching their eyebrow just so – yep, exactly like that. "You know, Buff, if I'd known that one of my buddies would be romancing Las Vegas and the other was actually gonna get hitched, I'd have tried my hardest at the 'bring-your-own-date' thing." He chuckled at the idea, he _had _done his hardest. "What's this anyway, Noah's Ark?"

Buffy looked vaguely apologetic. Angel would have none of it. "You had your two tickets, Xander. How you chose to spend – or waste – them, was never Buffy's choice."

Xander's shoulders immediately sagged. "I know." He passed his hand through his hair. "Sorry, Buffy. Didn't mean to imply my love-life was your responsibility; it's just..." He started towards the door. "Whatever. There's a red-twenty-three I know will let me court it. Have fun, kids," he said as he threw them a last half-there smile before disappearing through the doorway.

"So," Angel said after the penthouse door closed behind Xander. "It seems we are all alone."

"Yup. Just you, me," Buffy seemed about to reach out, but retracted her hand at the last minute. "And the dirty dishes. Wanna wash or dry?"

Angel's thoughts were far from any chores. Buffy standing up and picking his and her plates didn't make any sense to him. "Room service can take care of that."

Buffy gave a small laugh. "No wonder the Alpha Kappa Lambda brothers ran from the challenge, when their own president can't face it."

"I seem to recall your own friends left rather quickly, dear." He reached her in a couple long strides. One arm snaked around her waist and it didn't take much to get her to lower the plates back onto the table. "I don't think it was the dishes that sent them running, though," he murmured hotly against her neck, keeping her back to his chest.

Buffy reached back, just a little awkwardly, and caressed his hair for a long moment. If Angel had noticed the way she bit her lip unconsciously, he'd have wondered at her thoughts. "Will they be back tonight?"

He gave her an incredulous look. "You're really worried?" Of course she was. She was too sweet, too good.

Buffy was frowning at the idea. "I **would** hate for any of us to miss the flight," she allowed.

Angel kissed her shoulder blade, disengaging his arm from around her so he could keep her hair from falling into his eyes. "What's the point of a private M.E. jet if it can't wait for us?"

"Good."

Distracted by soft skin, it took him a second to process her answer. Another second passed to remember why he hadn't expected it. "Good?"

Buffy was already walking away, leaving him to wander puppy-lost behind her. "Willow had this thought," Buffy was saying. Angel suddenly remembered that Willow's thoughts could easily be divided in two categories: incredibly sweet-intentioned, and potentially dangerous. He wasn't sure which one he was hoping for in this instance. And Buffy was still talking, he realized as he was led into the living room. "...we were just admiring things, you know. So, is it true?"

_*Is what true?*_ Angel scrambled for whatever he was missing.

Buffy looked at him with a soft smile. "You're embarrassed. It's okay, I don't mind." Angel had the impression they weren't thinking of the same cause for his embarrassment. "Besides, I should have realized it myself." She sat on the couch and looked at him expectantly. _*Expecting what?*_ At his lack of reaction, she put her hand on one of the cushions and practically _caressed _the material. "It's kind of obvious; nobody would buy a couch this big without second intentions for it." She looked up at him. "Well?"

Angel had one complete second to connect the dots before he rushed to join her. This couch? Best. Buy. Ever. He might even have to ship it to the Alpha Kappa Lambda mansion for his everyday use....

"Angel? The doors are locked, right?"

He nodded – and if anyone even dared touch that doorknob.... Forget private jets; they'd find themselves in the slowest, dingiest bus trip back to Sunnydale Angel could find.

* * *


	10. Chapter 09

* * *

Chapter Nine

* * *

Sunday morning, a very late morning, found the friends bumping into each other in the kitchen as they slugged their ways in for aspirin, coffee and other, less necessary, breakfast items. Greetings were exchanged, a few polite words or half-growled threats (depending on the grouchiness level) added to the conversation.

Nobody mentioned what they'd done the previous night; and if the lavender lace bra hanging innocently from the edge of a side table surprised anyone, they didn't show it.

* * *

Back in Sunnydale the group disbanded quickly and headed for their rooms, tired after the unexpected excitement of their weekend and acutely aware that the next day they'd be back to their usual schedule.

Usual, except for one difference: Angel drove Buffy and her friends to her dorm, and twenty minutes later Buffy threw a small bag full of fresh clothes onto the backseat. "That's all?" Angel said, frankly surprised.

Buffy gave him an odd look. "You don't exactly have an empty drawer for _my _clothes. In _either_ of your rooms."

Angel wisely kept quiet. Buffy had always seemed to accept Darla's past, present and future role in his life very well; but it didn't take a genius to realize that coming back to find another woman's clothes in her husband's room had unsettled his young wife. That Darla had promised she'd be cleaning out her stuff of both of his rooms first thing in the morning, while he and Buffy were in class, didn't seem like a good answer.

Tomorrow was another day, Angel reminded himself. They'd decided to move Buffy's belongings to the mansion tomorrow, most of them would go to his room in the family wing while a couple changes of clothes would stay in the fraternity wing, for the nights they would spend there.

Tomorrow did finally come, and Buffy seemed indeed more relaxed when she returned to find an incredibly large closet and drawer space. "Are you sure you keep your clothes in here?" she asked, bemused, as she looked over the relatively few items. Then she remembered Xander's even more meager collection and sighed, almost enviously; guys had it so easy where fashion was related.

What followed was a series of trips to her (now ex) dorm, packing her things, reassuring Willow that her new roommate would surely be a very nice girl, and letting Angel carry the boxes into the car and then to his room. The last, Buffy reflected as she and her best friend took a brief break from packing and watched Angel carry a heavy box into the aisle, could be summarized in one word: "Wow."

"Oh yeah." Willow blushed a bit at her obvious admiration of her friend's husband, but... "Wow," she repeated, unable to help herself.

Buffy nodded eagerly.

"You lucky, lucky girl."

Buffy nodded again.

"Bet he's even better up close, huh?"

Another nod.

"Care to share?"

"Will!"

Willow laughed. "You should have seen your face." When Buffy didn't smile back, the redhead got a worried look. "Hey, Buffy. I was kidding, you know that, right? Because I'm a kidder, I am, with the kidding and the – Oh you!" She'd seen the small uplifting of Buffy's lips. "That was mean!"

"You proposed I share Angel!"

"I was _kidding_!"

"You already have a boyfriend!"

"Well," Willow seemed to think about that. "Next time there are boxes to carry I'm calling Wesley in and we'll choose a winner."

Both dissolved into giggles, which turned almost unbearable when Angel poked his head in the room and asked what was so funny.

"Oh, God," Willow said after the mirth had passed. "I'm really gonna miss you, Buffy." However, Buffy's eyes weren't on her, but back on her husband. Willow chuckled. "But I have the feeling you'll be too distracted to miss me for a while."

Buffy grinned in response, and, having decided packing could wait for a bit longer, sat back to enjoy the 'Angel, Moving Man' show. It definitely was demanding her utmost attention.

* * *

It was on one of their trips to her dorm room that they met up with Joyce.

"Buffy, what's going on?" Joyce asked as she saw the boxes.

"Oh…um…I'm going to go ahead and move in with Angel now."

"Oh. Okay," Joyce said, stunned. She didn't really like the idea but by California law, she couldn't really stop her daughter either. "What do you need help with?"

"Uh…um…you could put some things in this box."

"Okay," Joyce said. Then she remembered why she came over in the first place. She grinned at her daughter and said, "But before I do that… let me see it."

"See what?" Buffy teased.

Joyce grabbed her daughter's hand and looked at the new ring that had replaced the purity ring. Buffy had moved the purity ring to her middle finger on her left hand. "Oh, Buffy, it's gorgeous!" Joyce could have sworn that Buffy's smile reached from ear to ear. She had never seen her daughter so happy.

Joyce could have sworn that Buffy's smile reached from ear to ear. She had never seen her daughter so happy.

"This box is ready to go. I'll just take it down to the car," Angel said.

"Uh…this one too. I'll come with," Willow stated.

After they left the room, Buffy asked, "So, you're not mad?"

"About?"

"About all of this."

"I'm thrilled you found 'Dream Man', Buffy. I do think that you're going too fast, and I would rather you wait to move in with him, but you're eighteen and I can't stop you. I can only give you advice."

"So, other than slow down, which isn't going to happen, what do you advise?"

Joyce sighed, "Be careful. You may be engaged, but I don't recommend starting a family right away." Buffy thought for a brief second about telling her mom about Darla being pregnant with Angel's baby, but decided to save that piece of information for later when Angel was there to discuss it. It was up to Angel as to when they would tell her mom. Joyce continued talking, unaware of her daughter's musings, "You're both still in school. Wait until you both have all the degrees you want and have worked in your chosen field for three years before getting pregnant, but at the same time, if it does happen, let it be a happy thing. Just don't try for it yet and use some protection. If you want the Pill, I can get you an appointment with my doctor."

"Uh.. that would be great, but I want the shot if I could."

Joyce gave a satisfied nod. It was good to know that Buffy had already been thinking about it. "Talk to the doctor about it. That's between you and her—not me. Not anymore," Joyce said almost sentimentally. "I'll make you the appointment and let you know when it is."

"Thanks."

"So, you're moving into the fraternity house?"

"Well, the West Wing is the fraternity house. The East Wing is for family and that's where we will be staying most of the time. However, Angel says that there will be times when it'll be easier to just stay in the fraternity, so we'll have a room in each wing."

Joyce didn't miss the fact that her daughter used the pronoun "we", therefore including herself. Joyce continued to help her daughter move in with her fiancé. She was shown the Family Wing entrance and was told that if she didn't get an answer at that door, then to go to the Fraternity Wing entrance. There would most likely be someone thereto let her in. She and the rest of Buffy's family were always welcome. Buffy even showed her mom a room that Dawn could use if Dawn ever wanted to spend the night.

* * *

A few days later, Buffy had just come out of her ten o'clock class when she saw someone who she never thought she would see on this campus. "Riley, what are you doing here?"

"Looking for you," Riley smiled. "I just transferred. You know I'm only loosing three hours; only one class I couldn't get into. The other classes had room for me. I just finished with all the registration paperwork." That information was supposed to make her happy. Riley was confused at her lack of reaction, so he kept talking. "They told me to try to get familiar with the campus today, since I start tomorrow." Buffy's eyes widened in surprise, but that was all. Riley ran a hand through his hair. He'd really messed up, hadn't he? Of course Buffy didn't look happy; he'd broken up with her and never spoken with her again. She had no reason to believe he'd had a dramatic change of heart in New York. "I just couldn't stand being that far away from you," he said earnestly. When Buffy just silently stared at him, he continued, "I looked up your dorm and your schedule. I saw that you would be here. I also saw that you don't have any classes until one. Maybe I can take you to lunch."

_That _got a reaction. "Uh…Ri…I already have plans. Sorry," Buffy said.

"Well, can I join you?"

_*No, Riley, I don't think that my husband would like it if you joined us for our lunchtime sex session.* _"Uh…I don't think that would be a good idea, Riley."

"Why not?" he askedCOMMA not giving any notice to the man coming up behind Buffy.

Spike however, had heard part of the conversation. "Because her fiancé wouldn't like you hanging around on their date. The lady told you 'No.' Respect that and move along."

"Buffy?" Riley looked at his high school girlfriend.

"Riley, this is Spike. Spike, this is Riley. We used to go out when we were in high school. He went off to New York and obviously he just transferred to Sunnydale U."

The two men shook hands and Spike whispered in Buffy's ear, "Angel got a call and had to go to an interview for a T.A. position. If you want, I can play along to get rid of this guy."

Buffy smiled, "No, that's okay." She turned to Riley, "Riley, looks like I'm free for lunch. Spike, you want to join us?"

"Sure, Pet. Where to?'

"Um…why don't we go grab a sandwich at the Sandwich Shoppe?" Buffy suggested.

"Alright."

Riley let the other two lead him. "So, you're one of Buffy's new friends, huh?"

"You could say that," Spike said as he sent a text message to Angel's cell phone, "Meet me at the Sandwich Shoppe STAT"

* * *

"Angel, I'm glad you could meet with me," Professor Griffon said. "My T.A. had to quit. His mother was just diagnosed with bone cancer. He wanted to move back to Louisiana to take her to chemo and other doctor appointments. He just lost his father a year ago to cancer." He shook his head in sympathy. "Poor man. I really hope that she pulls through for his sake. But now that he's gone I need to think of a replacement. I'd really like you to take his place. Matter of fact, if you had submitted your request to be T.A. just a little earlier, you would have been my first choice."

"I would love to, Sir. But there may be a conflict of interest."

"Why?"

"Well, one of your students in your Monday, Wednesday, and Friday one o'clock class is my fiancée."

The professor laughed, "Angel 'the Scourge of Hearts' finally settling down; tying himself to one woman?"

"Yes, Sir," Angel smiled.

"Who is she?"

"Buffy Summers. I've been tutoring her."

"So that's why her grades are improving. She's bright. Just has a hard time with numbers."

"Yeah…uh…I'm also helping her with her math. As we just found out that grade dropped," Angel smiled.

Professor Griffon looked at Angel seriously, "Angel, as long as you keep your personal life outside of my classroom, I don't care. When grading her papers, don't give favoritism or be extra hard on her. Grade her papers like the rest and don't give her the chance to change her answers. Don't give her test information when tutoring her. Keep it professional and I won't have a problem with it. I've heard how professional you can be when it comes to stuff like this. I'll be expecting it from you."

"Yes, Sir."

"Alright then. Go get some lunch and I'll see you at one."

"Yes, Sir," Angel said and walked out the classroom. He pulled out his cell phone to call his wife when he saw the text message from Spike. He ran over to the Sandwich Shoppe. He had no trouble spotting the bleached blond. He also noticed that his wife was with his best friend and there was man sitting with them that he didn't know.

"Hey," he said as walked up and touched Buffy on her shoulder. "Guess who the new T.A. for Professor Griffon is."

"You?" Buffy asked surprised.

"Yep," Angel smiled.

"That's great!" she said and kissed her husband.

Someone at the table cleared their throat loudly. When the couple broke apart, Spike made the introductions, "The kid here, is Buffy's high school ex., Riley. Riley, the man that your ex was just playing tonsil hockey with is her fiancé, Angel." He then turned to his friend and said, "Congratulations on getting the position."

"Thanks," Angel said and Spike knew that it wasn't just the congratulations, but also for looking after his wife and letting him know where to meet her. Angel sat down with the sandwich that he bought and all four ate their lunch and sat around talking.

Riley took a large bite and looked at the other three while he munched on it._ *The bleach blond seems to say things for shock value a lot. So he was probably just saying that Buffy was engaged to scare me off. Buffy would have said something if she was engaged,*_ Riley thought to himself. *_He's obviously a close friend of this other man. And Buffy and the other man do seem like they are dating. But once she sees I'm serious about marriage, she'll come back to me. After all we dated for two years. There's no way that she and this other guy have been dating for very long.*_ He didn't notice the Claddagh ring on her left hand.

* * *

Spike went to his own class while Riley watched as the love of his life walked off to class with someone else. Riley knew he couldn't do anything now. He would have to wait until later so, he sighed and walked off to find his new home. He'd been part of a fraternity in New York. Hopefully, they would accept him here too. He went to the office of Student Affairs. "Excuse me, Ma'am," Riley said to the clerk behind the counter. "I was told that there was an Alpha Kappa Lambda Chapter here, but I couldn't find the house on the map – I just transferred."

Someone behind him heard the question and spoke up, "That's because the Alpha Kappa Lambda house is off campus."

Riley turned around and the guy introduced himself, "I'm Lorne Hodges."

"Riley Finn." The two men shook hands, "So you're Alpha Kappa Lambda?"

"Yes, Siree."

"I just transferred from New York University where I was Alpha Kappa Lambda. I was hoping that I could still keep my membership."

"Well, I don't see why not. I mean it doesn't matter where you go to school. If you're Alpha Kappa Lambda there, you belong to all of us. Let me guess, you're a freshman."

"How'd you guess?"

Lorne just looked at the boy and said, "Lucky guess." Most everyone knew that once you joined Alpha Kappa Lambda it didn't matter if you moved, your membership transferred to your new home. Only a freshman would be insecure about it.

"Could you tell me how to get to the Alpha Kappa Lambda house?"

"I'll do better than that, Sweet Tart. I'll show you," Lorne said. "I'll even give you the grand tour."

* * *

Angel and Buffy arrived for class early and Professor Griffon explained to Buffy what he and Angel had talked about. "Miss Summers, I understand that you and Angel are engaged as of this weekend. As of today, he is my new T.A. I wish to go over some things with you. I've already talked with Mr. MacKenzie about this. But I want to make it clear to you as well. Your personal relationship with Angel stays outside of my classroom. That means if you are angry with him, there will be no dirty looks toward him in my class room." He waited for Buffy's nod before continuing, "He will not have test information prior to the test and if he happens to see the test before I give it out, he is not allowed to give you any information about the test while tutoring. When he is grading papers, he cannot give you any favoritism or be extra hard on you. He cannot allow you to change your answers. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Sir," Buffy said as she took her seat on the third row. There were a group of girls who sat near her. Some on the same row and some on the row behind her.

"Before we begin, Mr. Boudreaux's mother was diagnosed with bone cancer. He has taken leave of absence to go back to Louisiana to take care of her during her treatments. Please keep the Boudreaux family in your thoughts. Mr. Angel MacKenzie will be taking his place as my T.A…." the professor then went on with the lesson for the day.

* * *

"Oh mi God! The new T.A. is such a hottie," Marcie Campas said, as soon as she crossed the classroom door. Maybe History would finally be a class worth coming to.

"I know, and you know what I heard?" Sandra Parky joined in.

"What?" Jamie Bartos asked, eager for the latest gossip on the hottie.

"That he is one hell of a lover. Only thing is he doesn't want a relationship. It's just sex and if you're really lucky, a friendship may develop," Marylou Habbert answered for Sandra.

"Wow." But I bet us freshmen don't stand a chance," Chandra Corbell sighed.

"As long as you're eighteen and willing, he doesn't care," Lakisha Baze said.

Buffy listened to what the girls who had sat next to her were saying. They were walking in front of her and Angel was walking beside her. They just grinned. Buffy had heard all of this from some of the upper classmen in her dorm when she had first met him.

The girls knew that Buffy was behind them, but didn't know that Angel was with her. Without turning around, Donna Alling asked, "What do you think, Buffy?"

"Oh, I think he might have changed," Buffy said as she grinned at her husband.

"Oh you wish, Miss Wait-Until-I'm-Married. That's the only way that you will ever have Angel. If he changes," Cordelia Chase laughed. Buffy and Cordelia had gone to high school together and never really got along then, and her blunt remark stung just a little. Cordelia was also Dru's little sister and knew Angel as a friend. So she thought she knew it all when came to him. "My older sister is one of his best friends. Girls, every willing woman of legal age has a chance with Angel."

"What about you, Cordy?" Dana Alling, Donna's twin, asked.

The question made Angel shiver, Cordy was too much like a sister to him for him to even consider having her in his bed. Before Cordy could answer, Buffy and Angel looked at each other and smiled. He put his arm around her waist and said, "Buffy's right. What Cordy said was true until a few weeks ago. Now, I'm a one woman man." The group of girls stopped walking and turned around to find Angel with his arm around Buffy's waist. Angel looked at Cordy and said, "If you were at the mansion with Dru more often you would know that, Cordy." Angel then led his wife to the car and the girls just stared after them in shock.

Cordy however, looked like she was angry. *_How dare the little gold digger get Angel. Angel is mine! He will be mine! Just wait and see. You won't last long, Little Miss Goody Two Shoes. Angel's not going to go without for too long and I'll be there when he needs it. Then he will want me and only me.* _Cordelia thought to herself as she got into her car and started the engine. She only needed a plan, and it came to her easily. *_I just have to make my presence known more at the mansion.* _With that thought in mind, she made an illegal U-turn and drove to the fraternity house.

_

* * *

_

"I think we should tell the fraternity that we're engaged. I don't want any slip up to your mom about us being married already so…"

"Okay. Whenever you're ready," Buffy smiled at Angel who was driving.

"Well, I was thinking as soon as everyone got back from their classes. I mean, I told Professor Griffon that we were engaged. And I want the fraternity to find out from us and not through the rumor mill."

"All right. So what time will everybody be home?"

"Everybody should be there by three-thirty."

"So we have time to be alone?"

Angel glanced at his wife and said, "Yes, Mo Grà, we have time to be alone."

* * *

Buffy and Angel used the Fraternity Wing entrance because it was closer to the garage where Angel parked his car. As they walked in, they heard Lorne say, "And here is our President with his lady love." While Lorne didn't really know what had happened in Las Vegas this weekend, he did know that Angel had not had any other women over except Buffy since he met her. It didn't take a psychic to know that they were exclusive; but Lorne usually did have a sixth since about these things. Besides, he'd been at the ball in Las Vegas and had seen how they acted together. Most of the fraternity had been there with dates. But only a select few had stayed in the penthouse with Angel and his family and were privy to what'd happened between the couple. The rest had rented other rooms in the Black Knights hotel and come back to Sunnydale to find that they had a new, very blonde, very in-love housemate.

Said housemate was now staring at their most recent addition.

"Riley, what are you doing here?" Buffy asked, shocked.

Riley was equally surprised to see her here. "I was Alpha Kappa Lambda at N.Y.U. and I thought…"

Angel didn't require more explanation. They'd had some transferred fraternity members before. "Okay." His wife and her ex boyfriend looked at him. Angel almost chuckled at the absurdity of the situation. What were the chances, really? "Then let's get you set up in a room. Follow me," Angel said. "Have you gotten the tour?"

"Yes, Angelcakes, I gave him the tour."

"Thanks, Lorne. Tell everyone mandatory meeting at three-thirty." Angel then turned to Riley, "I'm sorry I didn't catch your last name."

"Finn."

Angel nodded and showed Riley Carl's old room. "If you need help moving in, just let us know. We'll all help."

"Thanks," Riley said as he looked around his new room. "I don't have much, but what I do have will be at my parents' by the end of the week. I'd appreciate it if a couple of guys could help out."

"We'll ask for some volunteers at the meeting," Angel told him, then left so he could join Buffy downstairs.

* * *

All of the Alpha Kappa Lambda brothers were in the TV Room waiting for Angel to get there. Darla, Dru, and Cordy were there as well. Cordy was sitting by Lance Linscott, who was a sophomore and her current boyfriend.

Angel walked in with Buffy and Riley, "Everyone, this is Riley Finn. He just transferred from N.Y.U. He has Carl's old room."

"Welcome to Sunnydale U. Party!" Lorne yelled. Some others echoed the request.

Angel laughed and nodded his head, "Alright, Friday night. Nine o'clock: guests start to arrive. Seven o'clock: get your assignments and Pre-Party starts." The guys looked satisfied that the reason for their meeting was covered, and they'd gotten a good reason for an extra party as a bonus. Angel noticed, so he took Buffy's hand and started his own announcement, "There's something else. Buffy and I are getting married in June. She's already moved in the Family Wing."

"Gold Digger!" Cordy said harshly as she got up and left the room. Cordy's comments earlier that day stung a little bit, but this harsh treatment really hurt Buffy. It wasn't the comment so much but proof that the other girl really hated her and she didn't know why.

"I'll go talk to her," Dru said as she went after her sister.

"I'm sorry about that." Angel looked perplexed. "I didn't expect that reaction out of anybody."

"Hey, don't worry about my girl. I'm sure Cordy's just being her usual spoiled rich girl self. It's part of why I love her, y'know?" Lance said.

Angel looked at Buffy who, was masking her feelings. "I'm fine," she said.

"We're all happy for you, man," Gunn commented.

"Yeah! Congrats Party mixed with Welcome to Sunnydale U. Party!" Lorne seemed really enthusiastic about the idea.

"No!" Angel and Buffy said in unison.

Lorne and everyone else looked at them, puzzled.

"We'll tell the press when we're ready, but right now, it's just those who are close to us that know," Angel explained.

Everyone nodded their heads in agreement and Lance said, "I'll let Cordy know."

"Dru will let Queen C know," Spike said.

Doyle laughed and said, "So Dru and Spike knew already, huh?"

"Dru, Spike , Darla, and Lindsey were there this weekend when Angel asked me and when we told his parents," Buffy said with a smile.

"Well, alright! Still, Party for Riley, right?"

"Yes, Forest, still Friday night party for Riley and since he's the guest of honor, he gets to enjoy the party with no assignment," Angel said, then he explained to Riley, "We take turns maintaining the party, set up and clean up."

"Oh," Riley said absently.

"Riley has said that his stuff will be at his parents' house this weekend and he might need a couple of men to help him out. So if you don't have any plans this weekend, get with Riley and see how you can help him," Angel said in conclusion.

* * *

Riley caught Buffy alone while she was studying in the Study Hall the next day. He sat down next to her at the table, "So you're engaged."

"Yeah," Buffy smiled.

Buffy, I know that you can't have been dating him very long, so please just know that I'm asking as a concerned friend. You don't feel like you have to marry him for some reason do you?"

Buffy looked Riley in the eye and said, "Riley, I love Angel. That's the reason I'm marrying him. It's not because I have to or for his money. For all I care he could keep all of his money away from me and I'd still marry him. He's the one for me, Ri."

Riley saw the truth in her eyes, but felt he had to say something, "I haven't been here long, but I've heard some things about him…"

"I know. He doesn't commit himself to one woman." Buffy repeated what half the campus had said behind her back that morning at school. "Riley, he's changed. He promised me he would be faithful and I trust him."

Riley nodded. However foolish it sounded, he would just have to keep an eye out and hope that she was right. "He makes you happy?"

Buffy had a light in her that came from the inside as she smiled and Riley had never seen her so happy before, "Yeah he does."

Buffy had a light in her that came from the inside as she smiled. Riley had never seen her so happy before, "Yeah, he does."

"Alright then. If he hurts you, he'll have to answer to me." Riley tried to sound tough and he laughed with Buffy. *_I just want her to happy. If Angel is the one for her, then there is someone else out there for me.*_

* * *


	11. Chapter 10

* * *

Chapter Ten

* * *

The "Welcome To Sunnydale U, Riley Finn!" party went well. As far as Angel knew no one spiked anyone's drink. Buffy and Angel were in their room in the Fraternity Wing because it was closer to the party. There were curled up asleep when there was a knock at the door and then counting, "30, 29, 28, …"

Angel heard the familiar voice and woke up his wife, "Kathy's here." They quickly got dressed and both were decent when Kathy walked in. "Hi!"

"Kathy, what are you doing here?" Angel asked, confused.

"Mom and Dad have to go to Ireland. Can I stay with you guys while they're gone, please?" Kathy begged.

"Sure. I'll go down and get your assignments form Mom," Angel said.

"Come on, let's get your stuff in your room," Buffy smiled. "Then we can call Dawn and see if she wants to go to a movie or something."

"Cool."

* * *

"Buffy, would you explain this?" Joyce said Sunday afternoon as soon as Kathy, Angel, Buffy and her friends showed up for lunch. She handed Buffy something that looked like a newspaper with a picture of her and Angel walking out of a Baby-R-Us. "Please tell me that you were shopping for one of Angel's relatives or friends."

Buffy signed. She knew she would have to tell her mom this sooner or later, but her and Angel had hoped it would be later, "No, Mom, we weren't shopping for a relative or a friend. But, I'm not pregnant either."

Angel looked at the tabloid and said, "Joyce, before I met Buffy, uh...I had a few indiscretions, I guess you could say. The rumors about my private life were true. A few hours before I met Buffy, I found out that Darla Rockefeller is pregnant and I'm the father. Darla doesn't want to marry anyone, so that was out the question. However, I will be involved in the baby's life. We've already decided on joint custody."

"Oh. Okay. So, Buffy's not pregnant?"

"Right," Buffy confirmed.

"But she will be a step-mother?"

"Well, we're thinking more like Mommy number two. Step-mom sounds so negative," Buffy said while thinking that this was going much better than she thought it would.

Joyce laughed and hugged her daughter and future son-in-law, "Let me know about any and all showers and when she goes into labor and all of that. If you're going to be a mother to this child, then I'm going to be a grandmother and I want to be involved as well. All though Grandmother sounds so old and formal. Can I be called Nana instead?"

Buffy and Angel smiled. "What ever you want to be called will be fine with us," Angel said, "And we'll let you know when she goes into labor. Darla's not one for showers so I doubt there will be one."

"You know, Mom, I've been trying to call Daddy and neither he nor Caroline have called me back. I would really like to tell him that I'm getting married in June to Angel, but I don't think I should leave it on the answering machine."

"You're right; it's not something to leave on the answering machine. I haven't talked to him in a few months either, now that I think about it. He just mails off Dawn's child support check. He used to call to make sure I got it, but he hasn't called since your graduation. Let me try to reach him, okay?" Joyce said.

"Okay," Buffy agreed.

* * *

"Hello. Can I help you?" Spike asked the man at the door.

"I was told I could find Buffy Summers here."

"Just a minute," Spike turned around leaving the door open.

Any polite person would wait at the door until they were invited in, this man, however, was not in his right frame of mind and he followed the bleach blond Englishman. Spike, thinking that the man was staying just outside the door, didn't notice him. He gently knocked on Angel and Buffy's bedroom door. He heard a muffled, "Door's Open" and opened the door and stuck his head in. "There's a man here to see Buffy," Spike whispered when he saw that Buffy has dozed off in her husband's arms.

Hank pushed the bleach blond out of his way and upon seeing his eighteen year old daughter in the arms of an older man – a man who he knew had the reputation of being a playboy – became livid. Especially since to him it looked as though they both were naked. _**"Buffy Anne Summers! What in the Hell do you think you are doing!?"**_ the man yelled.

Buffy was startled awake and looked at the man, "Dad? What are you doing here?"

"You **will** answer me, young lady!"

"Sir, if you will be so kind as to wait downstairs, Buffy and I will join you shortly," Angel said and looked to Spike to make sure his request would be followed.

Spike ushered the angry man down the stairs and into the Family Room.

After Spike closed the door, Buffy looked at her husband and said, "My dad."

"I kinda figured when you called him 'Dad'," Angel laughed and kissed her nose. "Get dressed and we'll both go down and talk to him."

"Okay," Buffy said.

* * *

"I think you need to calm down, Sir. They'll be down in a minute," Spike said as he left the Family Wing and went into the Fraternity Wing.

Hank Summers just stared at the man. *_How dare you presume to tell me to calm down. Just wait until you have a daughter who lies to you and cheats on her fiancé! See how calm you are then, Mr. Billy Idol Wannabe!_* Hank steamed.

"Daddy, I've been trying to get a hold of you for weeks now. Angel this is my dad, Hank Summers, Daddy, this is Angel MacKenzie…"

"I know who **he** is. Could I please talk to you in private?"

Buffy looked at Angel. This was not going good at all.

"Sure, Daddy."

"I'll just be in the kitchen getting dinner started," Angels said as he softly kissed her head in support.

"Daddy…" Buffy started.

Hank interrupted his daughter, "How could you, Buffy? You took a vow of purity!"

Buffy blushed slightly, "So I jumped the gun a few months. That's why I've been trying to call you. I'm engaged."

"I know!" Hank said angrily, "And what would your fiancé say about what I saw upstairs?"

"Huh?" Buffy was confused. Her father wasn't making any sense.

"What about poor Riley? Huh? You didn't stop to think about how this would hurt him, did you?"

"Daddy, what does Riley have to with this?"

"Well, you know he will find out," Hank said not really hearing what his daughter was asking him. "**Just look at this! You Slut!**" Hank yelled and threw the tabloid with Buffy and Angel on the front cover in her face.

"Whoa, Dad. Calm down. I think we have a huge misunderstanding here," Buffy tried to reason with her father.

"**Shut up, Whore! I'm talking here!**" Hank continued to yell.

"**Dad!**" Buffy yelled back. "Listen to me, I have no idea why you're so worried about Riley! Angel is my fiancé. We're getting married in June. I've been **trying** to call you since last Saturday afternoon to tell you! And as far as the trash goes, I'm not pregnant!"

Darla walked in, having heard the yelling and picked up the tabloid. "Oh, man! They thought **you** were pregnant?" She laughed. "I guess we have to hold a press conference now. Oh, well. I knew it was going to happen sooner or later. Sorry this little stunt of the paparazzi got your dad mad at you, Buffy. Mr. Summers," she nodded politely at the red-faced man, then shrugged at Buffy. "Angel and I will let them know that I'm pregnant with his baby, not you."

Buffy turned to Darla, "Thank you Darla, but it's not your fault. I'm just sorry that you have to announce it sooner than you'd like."

"Buffy, you're coming with me back to your dorm right now!" Hank interrupted the two women.

"Excuse me?" Buffy had never defied her father before, but he was acting irrational.

"I will not let you stay here any longer."

"I'm not leaving."

"What? You'd rather stay here and be apart of his **harem** when you **might** be able to salvage your relationship with Riley? He might still marry you."

"Dad! I am not going to marry Riley!"

"Yes, you are!"

"No, I'm not! I'm marrying Angel!"

"He will never be faithful to you!"

"That's my business not yours!"

Hank grabbed Buffy's are and tried to drag her, "Let's go."

Buffy jerked her arm away and said, "No! I'm staying here. Dad, get it through your head! I'm not going anywhere with you. I **will** marry Angel in June and if you don't like it, then don't come!"

Hank had enough; he slapped Buffy just as Kathy walked past the room. The force of the impact and the shock caused Buffy to stumble and Darla caught her.

She'd kept quiet because it was obviously a family matter; but any trace of politeness left Darla at this development. "It's time for you to leave now, before I call the police," she told Hank in a dangerously low voice.

* * *

Kathy saw the man hit her sister-in-law and ran to get Angel, "Angel! Angel! Come quick! Buffy's hurt.! Some man just hit her!"

Angel ran to the aid of his wife and saw her leaning against Darla. Darla was staring at the man and then she took out her phone and dialed a number, "I need some police officers at 1727 Crawford Street. A man just assaulted my friend and he won't leave…Darla Rockefeller…Thank you."

"You'd best leave before they get here," Angel said in a deadly low voice. "You had no right to hit her." Angel walked slowly, purposefully, intimidating toward him.

Before Angel got to him, Buffy finally spoke up, "Just go, Dad."

"And don't come back unless invited," Angel added, still enraged. Hank turned and left. Angel took his wife from Darla's hold and checked on her. There was already a bruise forming on her left cheek. Angel knew his sister was close by, "Kathy, go get an ice pack. If you can't find one, get a frozen steak out of the freezer." When he was sure that Kathy was out of earshot, "What happened?"

Darla explained what she heard and saw before Buffy could answer, "I was going to get something to eat when I heard yelling. Buffy's father was calling her names and I saw the tabloid and explained that I was the one pregnant with your child and he grabbed her and tried to drag her out the door, but she refused. He said something about Riley marrying her and then she insisted that she was marrying you in June and if he didn't like then he didn't have to come to the wedding and he slapped her. Angel, he backhanded her."

Just then police arrived and took everyone's statement. "Thank you, officer, but no, I'm not going to press charges," Buffy shook her head at the idea. "He was just upset. Once he calms down, everything will be alright. I mean, what would you do if you saw your daughter in bed with a man?"

"I wouldn't hit her and call her the names that your father called you, that's for sure," said the male officer.

A female officer that was dispatched to the scene gently said, "What he did to you, what he said to you, was abuse. If you have any younger brothers and sisters, they may be in danger of the same kind of abuse."

"No, he's never done anything like this before," Buffy assured them. "I'm sure it's just a one time deal. He just flipped. It won't happen again."

"Well, we can't force you to press charges, but if you change your mind, here's my card, give me a call. I've been where you are. I know what you're going through," the officer said and then she and her partner left.

No one noticed Buffy favoring her left arm. Buffy herself didn't even realize it.

* * *

After the officers left, Angel hugged his wife close as she cried. He gently rubbed his hands over her body, when his hands reached her left arm, she jumped in pain. He lifted the sleeve and saw a bruise in the shape of a hand on her arm. "Buffy, this looks bad; we need to get it checked out."

"It's fine, Angel."

"Buffy, has he ever done anything like this before?"

Buffy shook her head no and said, "No , never."

"Buffy, sweetheart, you can tell me," Angel said. She was beginning to act like this had happened before and she was used to covering up for him, "Maybe not this bad…."

Buffy whispered, trying not to move her mouth that much, "No, Angel! That's just it! He's **never** done this before! I mean when Dawn and I got in trouble he would spank us, but that was barely a swat on our butts. It didn't even hurt." Buffy was confused as to why no one would believe her.

Angel looked into his wife's eyes and could see that she was telling the truth. "Alright." He then realized that Buffy hadn't straightened her left arm and said, "Mo Grà, I want you to do something for me. Straighten your left arm."

Buffy thought it was weird request, but didn't think anything of it so she tried to do as he asked, but cried out in pain.

"Just what I thought," he said as he grabbed their coats. He yelled out, "Kathy, get your coat, I'm taking Buffy to the E.R. to get X-rays. I think her arm is broken."

* * *

"Hello," Angel answered Buffy's cell phone.

"Angel? Is Buffy around?"

"Yeah, Joyce, but she can't talk."

"Why not?"

"She's in X-Ray."

"X-Ray? Angel, what happened?"

"Your ex-husband came by and started yelling at Buffy calling her names and then he slapped her and grabbed her arm so hard it may be broken. I tried calling your house to let you know that I was bringing her to the E.R., but I got no answer."

"Wesley is out with Willow and Rupert, Dawn, and I were out with Hank. He was upset and I tried to get him to tell what happened and he just that Buffy was being immature and needed to do what was right."

"Kathy and Darla both saw it. You can talk to them. He backhanded her so hard that it hurts her jaw to talk!"

"Alright, Hank, you have a lot to explain, mister," Joyce said as she put the speaker phone on. Hank was sitting in Joyce's home office in a chair in front of her desk while she sat behind the desk. "Hank, please tell our future son-in-law and me what happened."

"Joyce, I caught her in bed with him," Hank pointed to the phone indicating Angel, "while she is engaged to Riley. I tried to reason with her and they kicked me out. I just hope that Riley will still want to marry her!"

"Hank! This is **not** the eighteen hundreds, you cannot dictate who your daughters marry. Buffy is eighteen years old and according to California law, she is old enough to make this decision on her own. I for one am not going to jeopardize my relationship with her. Nor am I going to stand in the way of her happiness!" Joyce told her ex-husband as Angel listened in.

"Joyce you can let him know that **if** Buffy ever wants to see him again, she will **not** be left alone with him. There will be someone who **I** trust that can protect her with them, if I can't be there." Angel knew that his father-in-law could hear him.

"I don't blame you, Angel, and I wouldn't blame Buffy under the circumstances. He won't be able to see Dawn alone either," Joyce said.

"You can't do that, Joyce! The courts say I can see Dawn anytime I like!"

"They won't after this."

"What? He beats our daughter and he blames me and I can't see my daughters anymore?!" Hank yelled.

Angel was appalled that his father-in-law would try to blame him for his wife's injuries, "I…"

"Hank, get out. I'll see you in court," Joyce said. Angel heard a door slam and Joyce said, "I'm sorry, Angel. I don't know what has come over him."

"Is this the first time, Joyce?"

"Yes, Angel, it is. But I can't take the chance that he will do the same to Dawn."

"You're right," Angel spotted Buffy and the doctor coming out of the X-Ray room. "Doctor?"

"There's a hairline break on her arm and her jaw bone is bruised. It looks like a ring caught it right here," the doctor pointed to the middle of her left jaw. "I know you both said that the police have a report, but I'm bound by law to report this. I can't hold you here, but I think it would be a good idea to stay and talk to the police so that they can add this to their report. I've also counseled Miss Summers to press charges, but she refuses. She'll be in Room Three until we can get a cast on her." The doctor then picked up the phone at the nurses desk and reported the incident.

"Angel," Joyce's voice drifted up to him. Angel looked at the phone. "Joyce, oh my God! I'm so sorry I forgot all about you."

Joyce gave a little chuckle, "What did the doctor say?"

"Her arm is broken and her jaw bone is bruised. He wants us to stay to talk to the police again."

"OK, I'll be right there."

"Wait, Joyce," Angel looked at his wife who was crying. "Buffy, Mo Grà, do you want to stay?" She nodded her head yes. "Alright then. We're staying here for a while." Angel took his wife into his arms and tried to comfort her.

"I'm on my way," Joyce hung up the phone and called out to Rupert and Dawn. "Buffy's in the E.R. I'm going."

"Hang on, we'll all go," Rupert said.

Back at the hospital, Angel called Spike, "Spike I need you to call a mandatory meeting. Let everyone know that Hank Summers, Buffy's father, is not allowed on the property unless Buffy asks him to be there. And **if** that ever happens he is **not** to be left alone with her. One of the brothers **will** be in the room at all times with him."

"What happened, Angel?"

"He bruised her jaw bone and broke her left arm," Angel read a note that Buffy passed to him, "Buffy wants to see Riley."

"Alright."

* * *

The doctor had set Buffy up in a room and gave her some pain killers. She had dozed off while waiting for the police. They had already put a cast on her arm. She had no idea that her mom, Giles and two sisters were there. When Spike arrived, it was to find a full room. Angel was sitting in a chair beside the bed, Kathy and Dawn were sharing another chair that was beside Angel's chair, Malissa was asleep in her mother's arms, Mr. and Mrs. Giles were leaning up against one of the walls, and Buffy had her eyes closed laying on the bed with her left arm in a cast resting on her stomach. Riley was right behind him and asked softly, "How's Buffy?"

Angel looked at the newest member to his chapter of Alpha Kappa Lambda and said, "She's resting right now."

Buffy opened her eyes, "Hey."

Angel turned his head back toward her, "How are you feeling?"

"Okay. A bit out of it."

Angel gave a half smile, "Darvicet will do that to you."

Buffy looked up at her ex-boyfriend and asked, "Riley, why would my dad think that I'm engaged to you?"

Riley looked embarrassed and softly explained, "Before I came on to Sunnydale, I stopped in L.A. and I asked your dad for permission to marry you. But when I got here, you and Angel were already engaged, and you said that you were happy."

Buffy was shocked when she realized something, "You transferred so that we could be together?" When Riley didn't say anything, she said, "I'm sorry I hurt you, Riley."

Riley smiled. "Hey, we never said that we would wait for each other and you're happy and that's all that counts." Riley took in Buffy's injuries and said, "I can't believe that your dad did this to you."

"Neither can I," Buffy said.

"What? Dad did this?" Dawn asked. No one had told her who had hurt her sister and she hadn't thought to ask; she was too worried about Buffy. Buffy just looked down, not really wanting her sister to know that their father could hurt any of them like this. The silence was confirmation enough for Dawn. She didn't know what to think. But she said the first the thing that came to her mind, "Dad didn't do this. He couldn't have. He's just not the type of person to do this!"

"Dawn, I saw him hit her."

Dawn turned on her new friend and said, "How do you know?! You've never met my dad! What you saw was a man who hit her and you just assumed it was my dad."

"Well, if it was just some stranger, I'm sure that she would have no problems pressing charges. Besides, according to her statement, it was her father who hit her. She said because he caught her in bed with her fiancé," the female officer, who just walked in the room, from earlier said. She then looked at the young woman in the hospital bed, "Will you press charges now?"

"Buffy, you need to press charges," Joyce implored. She'd been relatively calm in her earlier confrontation with her ex husband; but seeing her daughter in that hospital bed, drugged into sleep and with a cast around her arm, made Joyce wish she had Hank before her again so she could give him a piece of her mind. To do this to their own daughter!

"Mom, he's never done this before," Buffy insisted. "It was an accident. He was just angry and once he cools down, everything will be fine."

"How do we know that one of Angel's fraternity brothers didn't do this and you're just saying that Dad did it because you're scared?" Dawn asked.

"Well, according the security cameras, it was not one of the fraternity members. Mr..." The male officer from earlier consulted his notes, "...Harris was so kind as to give us a copy of the security tape. I hope you don't mind, Mr. MacKenzie."

"No, of course not."

"Please, I don't want anyone to know about this. Like I said, he's never done this before and he won't ever do it again."

"Buffy, your father never hit me, but obviously he's changed," Joyce tried again. But at her daughter's stubborn expression, she changed tacks. "We don't know if he's done this to Caroline or Zachary. I can't seem to get in touch with her. I've been trying ever since I got here."

"He's never hit Caroline or Zachary, Mom. He wouldn't do that. He was just upset. I'm **not** pressing charges!" Buffy said emphatically. She could tell that nobody agreed with her – except Dawn, but the younger girl still resisted the truth. Buffy closed her eyes and willed the whole nightmare away. She couldn't wait to be in her and Angel's room again. "I just want to go home," she whispered just loud enough for everyone in the room to hear her.

* * *

Angel was able to bring Buffy home about two o'clock the next morning. The doctor gave Buffy a prescription for pain killers and told her to take it easy. Since she was right-handed, she was glad that it wasn't her right arm that was broken. She could still take notes and was planning on going to class at eight a.m. Angel wanted her to skip classes for the next few days, but she insisted that she could go to class and take notes without using her left arm.

* * *

"Buffy, you need to wake up, sweetie," Darla said.

"What time is it?" Buffy mumbled groggily.

"It's ten-thirty, we need to get your make up on to hide that bruise on your face for the press conference."

"Ten-Thirty? Oh, God! I missed most of my classes. Why didn't Angel wake me?"

"Because you needed your rest, Buffy. The doctor told you to take it easy for the next few days."

"I can take it easy sitting in class, listing to the teachers and taking notes."

"And answer questions about your arm and your face?" Darla asked sarcastically. Buffy fell quiet. Darla turned serious and said, "You're not ready for that if you refuse to press charges."

She hadn't thought about her classmates' curiosity. Chastised, Buffy let Darla help her get dressed and do her make up.

* * *

"Wow, you can't even see the bruise," Buffy said in awe.

"Well, I've had practice," Darla said not even thinking how that sounded. When Buffy looked confused, she said, "Sometimes, I like a little BS&M and sometimes marks are accidentally left, so I've learned to cover up the bruises. But in my case it's consensual in your case, it's abuse."

"Abuse?... No, it's not. It's just the one time."

"It doesn't matter, honey. One time or fifty times. The first time, or the time it kills you – it's abuse and he needs to be put in jail for it."

"I'm sure it was just an accident," Buffy countered. "My dad really isn't like that."

Darla sighed. She knew that for whatever reason, Buffy really believed that. But she also knew men. If they were capable of getting that mad once…it would just get worse in the future. Sometimes Anger Management courses helped and sometimes only religion helped. Sometimes religion was the cause of it. And sometimes nothing helped but jail or death. She didn't know which of these it would be for Mr. Summers, but she would try to get Buffy to press charges against her father for doing this. "I knew a girl in boarding school who was caught having sex with her boyfriend. She was sixteen at the time. Her father beat her so bad that she not only had a broken arm, but a few broken ribs too. She insisted that he was just angry at her for having sex and he'd never do it again. He felt bad for her injuries. It was his first time too. Just like your dad. The police let the matter go under the circumstances. A few months later, this girl's little sister was caught in a lie about her grades. They found her body beaten so bad that only dental records could identify her. That little girl was ten years old and it was his first time abusing her and the second he abused someone." She paused to let that information sink in. "Buffy, it doesn't matter. What your father did was illegal and he needs to face the consequences. The fact that he tried to pass it off onto Angel, blaming him for something he didn't do, proves he knows it's wrong."

"Buffy, it doesn't matter. What your father did was illegal and he needs to have the consequences. The fact that he tried to pass it off onto Angel blaming him for something he didn't do, proves he knows it's wrong."

"What?"

Darla sighed. While Angel was getting ready for classed that morning, he was venting to her about Hank trying to blame him and she wasn't supposed to have let that slip, but now Buffy would have to know all of it, "When your mom called, your father was with her. He actually said that Angel had done those things. He obviously was blaming him so he wouldn't get in trouble." Buffy looked horrified. "Don't worry no believed him, besides, the security tape will prove Angel innocent. If Xander hadn't thought of that, then there might be a problem of our word against his word as to who hit you. But it's clear on the tape who hit you."Xander had been the only one at the fraternity house to question what had happened. While he wouldn't believe any brother (much less Angel) had willfully hurt Buffy, he'd kept insisting it must have been an accident. Willow, who'd rushed in after his call, had supported the idea. Darla had to admit she'd lost her patience with the youngsters at one point, daring them to call her a liar. They had hesitated, and that's when Xander had remembered the cameras in all public areas. Needless to say, after the tape was replayed, their doubts had turned into anger. "Everything's clear on the tape. Your dad will have no way of getting out of it if it goes to trial – which it should." Darla paused and then said, "They'll probably only make him go to Anger Management classes if this is really the first time." Darla wasn't really sure about that, but she wasn't above flat out lying if it made Buffy feel better about pressing charges against her father.

"Maybe he'll go on his own."

_Well it was worth a shot,_ Darla thought. "Maybe he will, maybe he won't. Do you really want to take the chance?" Buffy was silent. "Well, it's time to go," she looked outside and grabbed two huge rain coats. "Good thing it's raining – it gives us an excuse to wear these coats and it cover up your cast."

* * *

Angel was already waiting in the Student Union when Darla and Buffy arrived. He smiled at them and hugged his wife. "How are you?" he whispered.

"I had to take a pain pill before we left," she whispered back.

Angel just hugged her tighter, "I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"My reputation caused all this!" Angel said, disgusted with himself.

"Angel, it's not your fault. Please don't blame yourself."

Darla looked at the couple then at the reporters that were gathered. That silent movement of her head told Angel it was time to start the press conference. Angel stepped up beside Darla and brought Buffy to his other side.

"I'm glad that you all could make it today," Darla said. "As I said this press conference is because of the tabloid article about Angel and an unnamed young woman."

Angel told the truth, "Yes, the picture is real."

"However, the young woman in the picture is not pregnant," Darla said and gave a short pause. "I am."

"And yes, I am the father, " Angel said. A reporter raised his hand and Angel recognized him, "Yes, John?"

"Are you certain? I mean you and Darla are known to have multiple partners."

Darla grinned, "Yes, we're sure. The paternity test came back 95% certain that Angel is the father." Another reporter their hand, "Yes, Rhonda?"

"Does this mean that you will get married?"

Darla laughed, "No, I have no plans to ever get married."

"I will be in the baby's life. Darla and I have agreed upon joint custody," Angel said. "Now if you will excuse us, we need to get some lunch before our next class." Angel took Buffy's right hand and they walked off to the Sandwich Shoppe.

* * *

Angel and Buffy were sitting at a table eating their lunch and talking, "Don't worry about missing your classes today. I talked to your teachers and they all gave me your class work, which we will do later."

"Hey, Angel, can I join you?" John, one of the reporters from the press conference, asked as he sat down with his sandwich without waiting for an answer.

"Umm…" Angel started.

"Thanks. Listen everyone's wondering, who is this?" He asked as he pointed to Buffy and continued without waiting for an answer, "And is there anything to this? I mean, pictures of you two at Babies R Us, the grocery store, the mall. Not **your **usual date spots. Plus this is the same girl that you took to the AIDS Awareness Ball in Las Vegas. Usually after a ball we never see the girl again. So, what's up?"

Angel and Buffy looked at each other, "Not talking to the press, John."

"So, you're not talking to the press. You're talking to me, John, Alpha Kappa Lambda brother. Strictly off the record. I won't print it. You have my word."

"The word of a reporter?" Buffy scoffed.

John looked at the young woman who was sitting with his old friend and said, "The word of a Alpha Kappa Lambda, Miss."

Angel sighed and said, "You'll have the exclusive when it's time, John."

John nodded and then noticed the ring on Buffy's left hand and whispered, "WOW! Is that what I think it is?" John looked at Angel and back at the young woman. When Angel didn't say anything, John looked at his friend and winked. He got up and said loudly, "I told my editor there was no story here. I'll see you later, my old friend."

"Later, John," Angel smiled.

After he was gone, Buffy asked, "Do you think he will print it?"

"Nope. And he'll be waiting at home for us when we get out of class. He wants a proper introduction."

"How do you know?"

"He called me 'old friend'," Angel smiled as they continued to eat.

Hank Summers walked in the Sandwich Shoppe. He had been looking for his daughter all day long and had no luck. He then spotted her with **that** man. He walked up to their table, "Buffy, can we talk?"

Buffy looked at her father and said, "So talk."

"In private?"

"No." Angel said and Hank looked stunned. "The last time I left you two alone, she ended up with a bruised jaw bone and a broken arm. I meant it when I said that you will not be left alone with her."

"It's a public place."

"I don't care. You will **not** be left alone with her," Angel said.

Hank looked at Angel uneasily and then turned his attention on his daughter, "Listen Buffy, this man is not for you."

"Dad, we're not having this conversation. The conversation that we will have is this. **If** you take Anger Management classes and get some counseling, I won't press charges. It's as simple as that." She'd been mulling over Darla's advice for the last day and finally decided the older woman was right. "I will call Caroline to find out. You have one week to start or at least get it set up. If you refuse to get the help that you need, I'll press charges," Buffy said calmly and then stood up. Angel stood up as well and gathered both of their book sacks and they walked off to class.

The group of girls that were sitting around Buffy noticed the cast. "What happened?" Marcie asked concerned.

Cordelia, whose sister had told her what had happened, waited to see what Buffy would say.

Buffy remembered something that Darla said, grinned, and quickly lied, "Some really great sex."

Angel, who had heard the question and the answer, just smiled at his wife.

Cordelia then said, "Yeah, she landed on her arm the wrong way when the Lover's Swing came unhooked from the ceiling. Doyle said it wasn't installed properly."

Angel and Buffy were both surprised that Cordelia was covering for her.

* * *

Buffy caught up to Cordelia after class and said, "Thanks, for what you said back there."

"Look, I still think that you're only after Angel's money, but that doesn't mean that everyone has to know about your father."

* * *


	12. Chapter 11

* * *

Chapter Eleven

* * *

A few days later, Buffy was at the mansion getting a book she had forgotten, when the phone rang, she answered it, "Hello?"

"Is Liam MacKenzie there?" an Irish voice asked.

"Um, he's in class. Can I take a message?"

"Tell him to call Bradan MacKenzie. Tell him to call my cell phone, it's an emergency."

"Alright. Should I get him out of class?"

"Yes."

"I'll go get him now."

"Oh…um…I don't know if you Kathy or not, but if you do, don't tell her that I called."

Buffy got real worried and said, "Alright." She then hung up the phone and ran to her car.

As she drove to the school, she had the radio on and she heard a news update, "This just in. The head quarters of MacKenzie Enterprises in Galway, Ireland has been bombed. It's suspected that terrorists are behind the bombing. The building is on fire and the number of people in the building isn't News is trying to contact Sean and Patty MacKenzie now for a statement, but so far they haven unreachable."

When Buffy heard the news report, she began to hyperventilate, "Oh my God." She haphazardly parked her car and ran into the building to get her husband. She saw Professor Griffon step outside of his classroom, "Professor Griffon, I need to speak with Angel."

The older man frowned at the request. "Remember keep your relationship outside of my class room. What ever the problem is, it can wait until after class. He's supervising a test right now."

"Professor, it's not about that. There was an explosion and his parents are missing."

The professor's eyes went wide in surprise, "I'll send Angel right out." He went back inside the classroom.

Angel came out a few seconds later, "Buffy, what's wrong?"

"I forgot a book and had to go back home for it and Bradan MacKenzie called and said it was an emergency and not to tell Kathy…" Buffy saw him take out his cell phone, "He said to call his cell."

"Bradan, it's me, Angel. What's going on that Buffy had to get me out of class?"

"Angel, Uncle Sean told Grandma that he and Aunt Patty were going to HQ for a while and about an hour later a bomb went off inside HQ. It's destroyed, and we're trying to get people out… but's on fire and we know that some didn't make it. It's still burning…. Angel, we haven't found Uncle Sean or Aunt Patty."

Angel just stared past Buffy and slid down the wall to where he was sitting on the ground, "Liam…**Liam**!"

"I'm here," he said dully, barely registering as Buffy placed her hand on top of his free one.

"Listen, We've got a rescue team going in there. They're still pulling survivors out. We **will** find them. I'm sure of it. I had to pull some strings to be the one to notify you. But since I'm related to you, they let me."

"Yeah, thanks."

"I just thought you'd rather hear it from family."

"Yeah. Thanks." He repeated, still feeling strangely lost. There was something he needed to remember. ..._hear it from family... _The words echoed in his head. ..._family..._. _Oh god. Kathy_. "Uh… I'm not going to tell Kathy until we know for sure."

Buffy whispered to him, "It's on the news. I heard about it on the way over."

"Buffy just said that she heard it on the news on the way over here."

"Shit! We were trying to keep it out of the International news for now."

"Something this big, you can't," he said reasonably. "I've been in class all morning and I haven't seen the news yet and Kathy doesn't watch the news." He'd never been gladder that Kathy didn't believe there was TV beyond Sci Fi Channel and MTV. "Don't worry, I heard it first from you. Um.. I'll be on my way there as soon as I get packed and can get the jet ready."

"No, Angel, you need stay there with Kathy."

"Right. Kathy. Listen, Bradan, I'm going to go home. Call me there when you find something."

"Alright. I'll try your cell too, in case you take Kathy out or something. Aunt Patty mentioned that she's starting to go out again."

"OK," Angel hung up the phone and Buffy was already on her knees, holding him as much as her cast would let her.

* * *

Spike walked in the TV Room and saw that all of the Alpha Kappa Lambda members were watching the news. He turned it down and said, "No one is to let Kathy know what's on. Angel and Buffy are trying to protect her from worrying. That's all we can do right now is worry and pray – if you're a praying person, which Kathy is, but again we don't want her to worry. This would devastate her if she knew."

Everyone nodded and silently agreed to keep it from her until Angel decided otherwise.

* * *

Carl walked into the Alpha Kappa Lambda house to pick up Luke. Luke was still friends with Carl and now he was running late for a double date they'd planned. Luke had told Carl not to say anything to Kathy about what was going on in Ireland. Carl had decided to wait in the TV Room, where Gunn was already watching the news when someone changed the channel to the Sci-Fi Channel. He looked around and saw Kathy, "Hey, Kid, how you holding up?"

Kathy looked at him like he was crazy. "Fine." Then she turned to Gunn, "Have you seen Angel?"

"He's in his room," Gunn replied.

"No, he's not. I just checked."

"Did you check the Family Wing or this wing?"

"The Family Wing."

"Try this wing," Gunn said and left the room leaving Carl to wait alone.

As Kathy was about to leave, Carl said, "It must be hard with your parents missing and all."

Kathy froze in place. "What are talking about? My parents are in Ireland."

Carl grabbed the remote and changed it to FOX News and Kathy saw what had been going on all day. She heard the news caster say, "It's now confirmed, Sean and Patty MacKenzie are believed to have been in the MacKenzie Enterprises Head Quarters when the bomb went off. They are now officially listed among the hundreds missing. We have gotten a hold of their son, Angel MacKenzie and he says that the family has no comment right now."

Kathy ran upstairs and burst in. Angel was on the phone, "No, I will not conduct an interview right now…Because my little sister doesn't know yet. I will do an interview when they are found." He had his back turned to the door, looking out of the window so he didn't know that Kathy was in the room.

"I know, Angel." Angel turned around and saw his sister. She looked terrified. "I just saw. Carl showed me."

"Damn it!...No, not you. Listen call me in a few hours. If they haven't been found by then, then I'll do a phone interview – with Rhonda Ivory only….Thank you. Bye."

"Angel. Are they dead?"

"No, Kathy, we can't think like that," Angel said as he pulled his sister into a hug.

"Where's Buffy?"

"She's in the Study Hall trying to study for a test. She didn't want to go to class, but I told her to go study just in case we found them in time for her to go to class."

"Were you going to tell me?"

"When we found them, I was going to tell you…I didn't want you to worry. There's nothing we can do right now."

How'd you find out?"

"Bradan called and told me. Listen, Kathy, Bradan has every available person on working on the rescue team. They **will** find Mom and Dad."

"But they were there?"

"Yeah. They were there," Angel sighed.

* * *

Carl wandered down the hall and saw the Study Hall door slightly ajar. He peeked in and saw the blonde Angel had introduced as his new tutoring student a while back. *_She must be here for a tutoring session,_* he first thought. Then he remembered that Angel stopped tutoring at six in the evening. It was now seven. *_So she__'__s not here for a tutoring session. She must be here to see Angel. Ah, yes, Luke did say that Angel had gotten engaged to his new student.* _He opened the door completely and walked in. He noticed her left arm in a cast. "Hi," he said as he closed the door.

"Hi," Buffy said to the person who looked vaguely familiar. She didn't know all of the Alpha Kappa Lambda brothers' names yet, but she was certain he was one of them. She knew that she hadn't seen him around lately, but that didn't mean anything. She didn't see all of her housemates all of the time. "I was just finishing up. I can't really concentrate right now anyway," Buffy said picking up her stuff.

Carl knocked the books out of her hand and grabbed her, "Let me go!" Buffy shouted as she tried to get free.

"You know Angel always shares," he said as he tried to rip her shirt open.

Buffy struggled to get free and she yelled at the top of her lungs, **"He doesn't share me!"**

"Go ahead and scream all you want. No one will hear you with that door closed."

Buffy got free and rushed for the door, but he caught her and held onto her tight, "I like it when you fight."

Buffy went limp.

* * *

"You go on into the TV Room. I'll be there in a minute. I'm going to see how Buffy is doing on her studying," Angel told his sister.

"Ok," Kathy said.

* * *

Just as Carl' hands went to grab Buffy's breast, she kneed him in the groin. Carl let go as he groaned, "Bitch."

Angel walked in and saw Carl doubled over and his wife picking up her books, "What happened?"

"Oh he bumped into the table," Buffy said, remembering that Angel blamed his reputation on her father's actions and didn't want Angel to start to feel guilty over nothing. He didn't need that right now. "How are you doing?" She asked quickly changing the subject.

"Alright, Carl over there told Kathy what's going on. She's in the TV room now. I agreed to a phone interview in few hours."

"Ok. Dawn was wanting to come over and be there for Kathy, but I told her that Kathy didn't know."

"How'd Dawn find out?"

"She was flipping the channels and saw it on CNN."

"Oh, well, I think Kathy could use a friend right now."

"I'll call Mom now," Buffy said as they walked of the Study Hall.

* * *

"Still no word on Sean and Patty MacKenzie. The fire was completely put out by midnight PST. We talked with Angel MacKenzie. He said that he and his sister were still holding out hope that their parents would be found alive. When we asked about the business, he said he couldn't think about M.E. right now. He did say that his thoughts were with the families of the missing and confirmed dead and those employees who were injured and their families as well…" the news caster reported.

It had been almost twenty-four hours and the only ones being found inside the burned building were the dead so that they could be returned to their families for burial.

Dawn hadn't come over alone. She had her friends, Janice, Bob, Mitch, and Roger, with her. All of the young teenagers tried to keep Kathy's mind off of the negative and kept reassuring her that her parents might still be alive. "Maybe they were trapped inside an elevator and were safe from the fire," Dawn suggested.

"Maybe," Kathy said sadly as she watched the rescuers on TV bring out another dead employee. "Angel, what's going to happen to that man's family?"

"They'll make it, Kathy. M.E. will set up a fund for the survivors and their families as well as for the families of the employees who died."

"Really?"

"Yeah, Dad and I talked about what we would do in a situation like this."

"When?"

"Right after attacks on the World Trade Center. It got him to thinking about what he would do if he had used the WTC for offices in New York."

"Oh. What's the full plan then?"

"Well, it starts off with a year's salary for every employee who can no longer work or who died and then whatever contributions other people make will be divided up equally among the families. For those who survive this, it will depend on what their injuries before we decide what M.E. will help out with. Again any contributions will be divided up equally. College funds set up for any minor children of employees hurt or killed in the accident. M.E. will also pay for all funeral costs and hospital bills that worker's comp doesn't pay for."

"Is that a good thing?"

"It's better than most companies will or can do. But Dad and I felt like M.E. can do it, so we will."

"Will it hurt us financially?"

"No, we have so many insurance policies to cover things like this and the profits of M.E. We can do it without it hurting our personal finances."

"What will happen to me if … if… they're gone?"

Angel hugged his sister and said, "Then you will live with Buffy and me."

"What will happen to you?" When Angel looked confused, she continued, "I mean, will you be able to continue school or will have to take over M.E.?"

"I'll do both, Kathy. Dad has it set up that the men under him run M.E. and its different companies like a well oiled machine. All I'll have to do is the books every night. All of the employees that run a company will send me the information by email and I'll double check it."

"Really?"

Angel knew that Kathy was thinking that both their parents did more than that everyday, so he reassured her, "Yes. Every now and then I might have to do more, but I don't think it will be too often. The people who Dad has in charge are trustworthy. Mom and Dad just like to be hands on, but they both knew that I want to be a teacher, so they have it set up that if I have to take over M.E., that I could still teach."

"Okay," Kathy thought a minute. "Would you continue to home school me?"

"If you wanted me to, yes."

"I want you to," Kathy said.

"Why not come to school with us?" Roger asked.

"I like being home schooled. I'm finished with school work by noon most days."

"Oh! Wow! Cool!" Mitch said.

The phone rang and a few minutes later, Buffy ran into the room and said, "Angel, Bradan's on the phone."

"Hello?" Angel said into the phone that Buffy brought to him. "Where?...Oh my God…yeah…um, we'll pack and come right away… oh, okay…Later," Angel hung up and looked at his wife and sister and said, "They found them. They're alive. Apparently, they were one of the first ones to be pulled out and were rushed to the hospital. The rescue worker who pulled them out didn't know who they were. Both Mom and Dad were unconscious, but the rescue worker found a pulse and sent them off in an ambulance. They're insisting on being released now and will be back here tonight. Bradan will have them call us as soon as they can."

"Hallelujah! That's wonderful news, Angel! Thank You, God!" Preacher said as he overheard the news.

Angel hugged his sister as tears of joy flowed from both of them. He reached out for his wife and she joined the hug. Soon the whole room was involved in one huge group hug.

* * *

Buffy had had the cast on her arm for a few weeks and she was hoping that this doctor's appointment would be the end of it. Angel was sitting in the exam room with her. "Well, Miss Summers, the x-rays show that the cast is ready to come off. I want you to take it easy for a couple more weeks. I'll give you a sling to use," the doctor told Buffy.

"Anything to get rid of this damn thing," Buffy said and the doctor laughed. Buffy wasn't his first patient anxious to get rid of a cast.

"You're sure about this?" Angel asked.

"Yeah," Buffy answered with a smile on her face.

Angel got on the phone to the public relations of the MacKenzie family, "Bill, call a press conference for three this afternoon…Student Union on the Sunnydale U. Campus…I have an important announcement…That's all that needs to be said." Angel hung up and said, "You know it's not too late, I can call him back and cancel."

"Angel…"

"You're going to be hounded by the press."

"I have nothing to hide."

"Yeah, but at some point, you're going to want privacy."

"I know, but we need to do this."

* * *

Buffy, Angel, Darla, Sean and Patty MacKenzie walked through a curtain at the back of a stage. Buffy and Angel stepped up to the podium that was set up for the press conference. "I called you here to make an announcement. There will be no questions after the announcement. John Walton from People's Magazine will be conducting a private exclusive interview at a location where he is already waiting for us." Angel took a deep breath looked at his wife and then with a grin on his face said, "The media has been very generous at keeping my younger sister out the spot light. My parents and I thank you for that. I would like to introduce you to the woman standing beside me today. This is Buffy Anne Summers, my fiancée," Angel started to step back when one of the reporters spoke up, "Come on! You can't drop a bombshell like that on us and not allow questions."

"Sorry, we promised John the exclusive," Buffy said as she and Angel walked off the stage and out of the Student Union.

Sean stepped forward and said, "There will be an Engagement Ball at Sunnydale Hotel Ball Room in two weeks on Friday night. Dinner will be served at seven in the evening followed by dancing. It will be Black Tie."

"Is it invitation only?" Rhonda from FOX News asked.

"No," Patty answered. Only a select few were not invited and security would have their names and pictures, but Patty left that unsaid. Patty and Sean continued to field questions about the Engagement Ball.

When Angel and Buffy got in the car, Buffy put her sling on. She didn't want to have any of the press take her picture with it on. Angel took several wrong turns to try to loose anyone who was following them. By the time he parked the car in the garage of the mansion, no one was following them anymore. They went inside to find John waiting for them in the T.V. Room with the rest of the Alpha Kappa Lambda brothers, Dru, Cordy, and Kathy. Dawn was holding Malissa, and Joyce and Giles were there as well. Buffy was surprised to see that Darla, Sean and Patty had made it back before she and Angel did.

"You did wonderfully, Buffy," John said.

"You're just saying that because I said that we promised you the exclusive," Buffy smiled at him.

John laughed, "No, really, you surprised them all. They didn't think you were going to talk." John then turned around and said, "Ok this will be a written interview, so whoever wants to stay can."

"I didn't know if you wanted to talk to Buffy's family or not, so I invited them," Angel explained.

"It's fine. I might have questions later."

"Okay, rule number one: Anything John knows because of our friendship isn't allowed in the article. Only our answers to any of the questions he asks during the interview. So if he asks a question that he already knows the answer to that's the reason," Angel explained to everyone in the room who had never witnessed one of their interviews.

John turned on the tape recorder, "Okay, first question, how did you two meet?"

"I waited on him at the Outback," Buffy said.

"When did you pop the question?"

"At the AIDS Awareness Ball in Las Vegas," Angel answered.

"The question everyone has now, does this mean that you will be exclusive?"

"Yes, Buffy is the only woman for me, now."

"Darla, how do you feel about this?"

"I don't think that Angel could have picked a better woman to be second mom to our child," Darla smiled.

"So, Buffy, how do you feel about being a step-mom?"

"Ooo… Step-Mom. That sounds so…so…negative. Like Darla said, I'm going to be this baby's second mom."

Angel spoke up, "This baby will have three parents who co-parent equally."

"Darla, how you feel about that?"

"Oh, I'm thrilled. I think I'm going to need all the help I can get and I've seen Buffy with her one year old sister. I think she can help me out a lot," Darla said sincerely.

"Mr. MacKenzie, Mrs. MacKenzie, what do you think about your future daughter-in-law?"

"Oh, we love her to death," Patty answered.

"Kathy?"

"I already love her. I'm not only gaining one new big sister, Buffy's sisters are becoming like sisters to me as well." It's nice to have a friend again," Kathy said as she looked at Dawn.

"Do I have permission to mention the kidnapping to explain this?"

"Yes," Kathy said as her parents nodded their heads.

"Do I have permission to mention that she is home schooled?"

"Yes," Sean said.

"Mrs. Giles, Mr. Giles, what do you think of your daughter, Buffy, marrying Angel at age eighteen?"

"As long as they are happy," Joyce said. Beside her, Rupert nodded in agreement.

"Dawn, what about you?"

"Are you kidding? I love it! I'm to be an aunt when Darla has her baby and Kathy is a great friend who is like a sister to me. I'm glad that they're getting married."

"When's the wedding?"

Buffy answered, "June third at seven in the evening."

"Where?"

"Destiny International Church."

The interview went on for another hour or so.

* * *


	13. Chapter 12

* * *

Chapter Twelve

* * *

"Is Buffy here?" the young woman at the door asked. Darla was suspicious of the woman with the small child.

"Can I tell who's here to see her?" Darla asked.

"Tell her Caroline and Zachary are here."

"Sure. Uh, you can wait in the living room," Darla said as she showed them to the living room. Then she went to the kitchen where Buffy was making dinner. "Some people by the names of Caroline and Zachary are her to see you."

"Are they alone?"

"Yes."

"Send them in here. I can't leave this on the stove. I have to keep an eye on it."

"Buffy, who are they?"

"My step-mom and little brother. I've been trying to get hold of Caroline for a few weeks now to talk to her about my dad."

"Do you want me to stay?"

Buffy thought about it and then said, "I don't know how she will react. It might be best to have someone who saw it here, in case she doesn't believe me."

Darla left to get the guests. When the three of them walked into the kitchen, Zachary ran up to his biggest sister and gave her a hug. He noticed the sling, "What happened to your arm?"

Buffy looked over his head at her step-mom and said, "It got hurt and the doctor gave me this sling to wear for a couple of weeks."

"Does it still hurt?"

"A little. But if I don't use it much, it's fine."

"Johnny at my new school fell out of a tree and he had a cast on his arm for a long time and then he had a sling like yours only his had all kinds of animals on it."

Buffy smiled at her brother, "Well, I wanted a plain old blue one."

"Did you have a cast first?"

"Uh-huh," Buffy nodded in the affirmative.

Kathy came in and said, "Something smells delicious, what is it?"

"It's called Goulash," Buffy said. "Kathy, this is Zachary, my younger brother. Zachary, this is Kathy. Kathy will be my sister-in-law in a few months." She then turned her attention to Kathy. "Do you think you could show him around?"

"Sure. Do you like to play Gameboy?"

"Yeah! I got mine right here in my pocket!"

"Cool. Do you have Super Mario Advance?"

"Yeah!"

"Do you want to play against me?"

"Sure!" Zachary's eyes were wide with excitement. He couldn't believe that this girl was asking him to play with her.

"Come up to my room then," Kathy led Zachary up to her room.

"You're pretty," they heard Zachary tell Kathy as they walked toward the stairs.

"So, I assume you wanted to talk to me about your engagement?"

"Well, when I first tried to get a hold of you and Dad, I wanted to tell you what was going on. How my classes were and stuff like that. Then I met Angel and I wanted to tell you about the new man in my life. Then he asked me to marry him and I said yes and I wanted to tell you about it. Then a tabloid wrote an article that was totally untrue and Dad came over and flipped out." She'd been stirring the goulash as she talked, but now she stopped to face Caroline. Realizing that there was no 'right' way to tell what had happened next, Buffy simply told the bare facts, "He started yelling at me and calling me names. He grabbed my arm and broke it and he slapped me so hard he bruised my jaw bone." Buffy took a huge breath at the lack of surprise and what looked like guilt on Caroline's face, "I told him I didn't want to see him until he got Anger Management classes and some counseling. And you don't look one bit surprised. Caroline, what's going on?"

"I've uh, been out of town for the past few months. Your dad has increased his work hours since we've been gone. No, that's not right. He increased them before we left. But that's not why we left." Caroline took a deep breath and said, "One afternoon, Zachary went home with a friend from school. When the little boy's father brought Zachary home, your father walked in and thought I was cheating on him. After Mr. Smith left, your dad slapped me. That's when I took Zachary and left. We've been hiding ever since."

Buffy couldn't hide her shock. "We... we never knew." And all this time she'd told her friends that her father's behavior had been a fluke. _*I should have pressed charges.*_

Caroline sighed. "I have tried to get a hold of your mom, but I haven't left any messages because I didn't want Hank to know I was trying to reach her. I would always call from a pay phone. I left my cell phone with your dad. I was just so shocked and upset that I forgot it. I've also been checking the voice mail, so I knew that you had been trying to get a hold of me, and I tried to call you, but I never did get you." She paused for a second and went on, "I've been doing some research. I think your dad might be sick. And I don't mean needs-therapy sick. I mean physically sick. There are certain things—diseases that will cause personality changes like this. I want him to see a doctor, but I'm not ready to see him yet. Not until he sees the doctor and finds out what is wrong so we can fix it." The older woman sat down tiredly. "Buffy, I love your dad, I don't want a divorce, but I will not stay with a man who will or might hit me. And I don't think it's a good idea for you and Dawn to see him alone either. I'm sorry I should have left a message, Buffy, I just didn't think…"

Buffy was crying and Darla wanted so badly to say "I told you so," but for once, she held her tongue.

Buffy wiped her eyes, "It's not your fault, Caroline. It's his, or whatever's making him sick. Where are you staying right now?"

"We've been with a friend of mine in San Diego. But we've been there too long. I felt we were imposition. She insisted that we weren't, but…"

"Stay here. There's plenty of rooms. He'll never know you're here. He won't even think to look for you here."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure," Buffy said.

"She's right. There are plenty of rooms and Angel won't mind," Darla said and picked up the phone. "Xander, we need two rooms fixed up for guests. One room is for a little boy…How old is he?"

"Seven," Caroline said.

"Tell him it's Caroline and Zachary. He knows them."

"Buffy said to tell you it's Caroline and Zachary," Darla hung up the phone. "The rooms will be ready in just a few minutes. He's going to put fresh sheets on the beds now," she said as she left the kitchen.

* * *

"Dinner's ready," Buffy said into the intercom that carried her voice to every room in the mansion. "You'll meet everyone in just a minute. I'm still learning everyone's names."

"How many people live here?" Caroline asked.

"Well, here in the Family Wing, just four of us and we have three extra people staying with us right now. There's twenty-five Alpha Kappa Lambda beside Angel. And Xander has the Servant's house out back." She did the math quickly, "So that'll be thirty-three people."

Caroline looked impressed. "It's a wonder you don't bump into each other all the time."

Buffy smiled. "Well, the first floor is definitely the bumpiest, since both wings share it. But, the second and third floors are divided up into two halves. Same amount of square footage, but the Fraternity Wing's bedrooms are smaller and there's more rooms over there. The Family Wing has a door that stays locked and only those who have rooms in the Family Wing have a key. Well, and Drusilla's boyfriend." Buffy shook her head fondly. "I don't know why they don't give up and just move Spike's things to her room. They are obviously meant for each other."

"When one's in love, you want the world to share it," Caroline commented, a little amused at the obvious happiness in her stepdaughter's face.

"And you should see Angel," Darla commented with a chuckle. "I've never seen him act sappier."

Buffy shrugged. "Guilty as charged." She opened the cabinet door to and pulled out nine plates. "You're staying, right, Darla?" The other blonde nodded. Buffy took a ladle and started serving. "But I really don't know why Spike doesn't move. The rooms at the fraternity wing are so much smaller, I'd know." Caroline looked confused, so Buffy explained, "Oh, Angel and I have a room in both wings. Sometimes it's just easier to stay in the fraternity wing. The family wing may not house as many people, but the rooms are huge. Like mini apartments; I love it."

"And you cook all the time?" Caroline lifted an eyebrow. Last time the girls had visited Hank for the summer, she'd decided to let Buffy handle the salads and sandwiches. Anything else was a disaster in potential.

Darla smothered a laugh at the question. "Let's say it's not her cooking abilities Angel fell for."

Buffy blushed. "Goulash is easy to make," she defended. "And no," she told Caroline. "Most of the time, the Alpha Kappa Lambda members are on their own for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, but I was in the mood to cook and share, so whoever wants to can come eat."

The three women fell silent for a while. Darla moved to help Buffy with the cutlery and Caroline looked around the spacious kitchen. "Xander must love this," she nodded to the obviously well stocked refrigerator. "However did he get the Servant's house?" she asked.

"He took the groundskeeper job, but he does so much more than what's in the job description." If Buffy sounded proud, nobody could fault her. "He helps us with the inside of the mansion as well, keeping all the empty rooms cleaned and dust free. And there's even some empty rooms in the Fraternity Wing on the third floor."

"That almost sounds like a waste of space," Caroline said. "I don't mean to sound picky, but why didn't the fraternity stay on campus? It'd even be easier to get to class."

Darla was the one to answer, "When Angel joined the fraternity, they were trying to raise money to fix up the on campus house because it was about to be condemned. He really didn't want to move out of the mansion, so he offered up his home." Darla still remembered all the months of work that'd gone into remodeling the mansion. "He converted the West Wing into a Fraternity House and put in a door that would lock to keep some privacy for his family, Dru and me. He oversaw the whole thing, and let me tell you that I don't know what Buffy is complaining about. The rooms in the Fraternity Wing are smaller **except** for the Master Bedroom which he kept as his own. He even kept the adjoining bathroom."

"Thank God," Buffy murmured. "I mean, in the Family Wing, the bedrooms all have an adjoining bathroom, so that's nice. But I wouldn't be able to share a shower with twenty-five guys, not even if there are two full baths and a half bath on each floor of the Fraternity Wing."

"It sounds nice," Caroline said. "So are you ever uncomfortable with all these men that you don't know living here?"

"Nope. Ever since Dad's…visit…I feel safer. I know that there will always be some one here if I need help. And Dad will be arrested if he shows up here unless **I **invite him. And if I ever do invite him over, then there will always be a member of Alpha Kappa Lambda in the room with him at all times. They all treat me like a sister." She wasn't worried about Carl because she had found out that he was there only to pick up a friend. Most of the other guys avoided him ever since he'd been kicked out of the house for spiking her drink.

Angel and his parents walked into the dining room. Kathy and Zachary weren't far behind them. Darla, Lindsey, Dru and Spike also filed in. Buffy started the introductions, "Caroline, this is Angel MacKenzie, my fiancée. Angel this is my step-mom, Caroline Summers."

"Please to meet you, Mrs. Summers," Angel said as he thought, _If Mr. Summers thinks that by sending his wife over here will allow him back here – he's got another thing coming!_

"Please call me Caroline."

Angel nodded as Buffy continued, "And this is Zachary, my little brother. They're going to be staying with us for a little while." Buffy hoped that Angel wouldn't ask any questions right now.

It was Zachary who answered Angel's questions when the taller man knelt to shake the smaller hand. One question from the little man answered every question that Angel had. Zachary looked at Angel's hand and looked him right in the eye and with the stolen innocence of child asked, "Are you going to get sick and hit my sister?"

Angle answered honestly while looking the young man in the eye, "No, sir."

Zachary then smile, shook Angel's hand and said, "Good."

Just as the residents and guests of the Family Wing were sitting down, the Fraternity Wing residents walked in. Cordy was with one of the Alpha Kappa Lambda brothers and sat down at the dinning room table with everyone else. Angel introduced everyone and let everyone know that Caroline and Zachary were under their protection. He also reminded them that Hank Summers was not allowed on the property unless invited and if invited then he wasn't to be left alone with any member of his family.

As they were eating most people had their own little conversations going on. "Mama says Daddy's just sick and if he gets some medicine, then he will be okay and not get mad like that anymore."

Caroline chuckled nervously, "I hope that's what's wrong. He's just changed. I was watching the Discovery Health Channel, and they said that some physical conditions can cause personality changes and memory loss. And it seems that's what's happened. So I'm hoping that if I can get him to a doctor, that we'll find out what's wrong and can get treatment."

"What kind of disease would do that?" Buffy asked.

"A tumor on the brain will. My uncle started shoplifting and then didn't know where the stuff came from," Cordelia said. She looked at Dru for some support, but her older sister lifted a warning eyebrow. Cordelia huffed and continued, "He even denied it when he was shown a video of him stealing the stuff. Come to find out he had a tumor on his brain and died a year later."

Buffy's eyes got wide and she whispered, "Excuse me," and she ran out of the room. Angel got up and followed her.

Xander spoke up and said, "A little tact here, Cordy!"

"Tact is just saying stuff not true," Cordy countered.

"Well, Cordy, he hasn't been diagnosed with that and you just made her worry over something that may not be the cause of her father's behavior," Matthew, a med student, said and then he went to find his friends. He found Angel whispering to the young woman while holding her close to him.

"Buffy, listen to me, if it some physical condition, we'll get him the best doctors to fix it," Angel whispered to his young wife. "We'll pay for everything, we can make sure it's the best care and we don't have to settle for something cheap just because insurance won't pay for it."

Matthew stood a few feet way and softly said, "I'm not a neurologist, but my dad is and I know that he has cured a lot of people of brain tumors. Matter of fact the medical community has named him one of the best in his field. If you could get your dad to see him…. And it might not even be a brain tumor. There are other conditions that could cause this, Bi-Polar, being one. It's not curable, but with the proper medications, everything will be alright."

Buffy wiped her tears and said, "So how do we get him to see a doctor?"

Caroline was standing at the door and said, "When I talked to your mom before dinner, she and I agreed that we won't let him see Zachary and Dawn until he does go see a doctor. She also convinced me to have lunch with her, Rupert and Hank tomorrow. We will be in a public place and Rupert will there if he gets out of hand. I was going to ask you if you would watch Zachary tomorrow."

"Uh… well, Angel and I kinda had plans, but I'm sure that someone here would be able to watch him. What about your mom, Angel?"

"I can't speak for her, but as far as I know she has no plans for lunch."

They all walked back into the dining room to finish their supper.

* * *

"So, Caroline, will you and Zachary come to the Engagement Ball?" Patty asked.

"Oh I would, but my circumstances prevent me from getting a gown for myself and a tux for Zachary."

"Oh don't let that stop you! I still have tuxes from when Angel was Zachary's size and he can have one of those. And I'm sure that between Darla, Dru, and myself, we will be able to find a gown for you," Patty offered. She would have loved to buy Patty a new dress and Zachary a tux, but she knew that unlike Angel's past dates, this woman most probably would not accept such a gift. Most women in her situation had their pride, and Patty didn't want to take the chance of being turned down. She knew that most people in Caroline's situation were grateful for "hand-me-downs" though. "I was going to go through all my old clothes tomorrow anyway and give them to Good Will. I would rather give them to some I know than a bargain hunter." Which was true. Every season she went through all her clothes at one of their homes and donated some of her old clothes to Good Will, Salvation Army, thrift stores and other second hand stores and charities. Although this year she was going to add The Battered Women's shelter to her list of charities to give her old clothes to. She just had never thought about it before.

"Well, if you don't mind…"

"Oh, don't be silly. I wouldn't have offered if I minded," Patty teased with a smile. And Caroline smiled too. The MacKenzies were nothing like she had expected. She had thought they would be snobs, but they were very friendly and nice and they joked around just like she and her friends did, and shared their old clothes with others like she and her friends did. The only difference was that they had more money than she did. And that didn't matter when choosing a friend. All that mattered when choosing a friend was their personality.

"We can look through my closets tonight if you want or tomorrow. If the dress you pick out needs to be tailored, we'll just call my seamstress."

"Oh, I probably could do it myself. I'm a seamstress. It's how I've been supporting Zachary and myself lately."

"If you want to, but we can call my seamstress if you want. This is supposed to treat you and how can it treat you if you're doing the work?"

Caroline smiled, "I enjoy sewing."

Patty smiled back, "Then I just may have to switch seamstresses."

"Wait until you see my work before you decide though." Caroline said not sure if her abilities were on the same standards as the famous fashion designers. "I know we just met, but I have an appointment tomorrow for lunch and I was wondering if you might be able to watch Zachary for me?"

Patty turned to watch their children play together. The little boy was adorable. "Sure. Kathy has all kinds of video games in her suite."

"He has a gameboy, Mom. He can play with any of my gameboy games or if he wants to play one of the others, all he has to do is let Spike know which one and he can hook it up to the TV in the living room." She turned to Zachary and said, "I'm just kinda funny about people being in my room when I'm not here."

Patty looked at her daughter proudly. Since they'd come to Sunnydale, Kathy was feeling more and more confident about going out.

"Where will you be?" Zachary asked.

"Dawn and her friends invited me to go see a movie, so I'm going."

"Oh. Can I come with you?"

"Oh, Zachary, I was invited and it wouldn't be polite for me to invite someone else. Besides the movie we're going to see is PG-13."

"What about you and Angel, Buffy?"

"We're taking them to the movies. Besides, if we don't go, they'll have to walk," Buffy said

"Well, can't you take me to see a G rated movie while they go see the PG-13 movie?"

"Sorry, Champ. I promised Mrs. Patty that we would stay with Kathy so that we could watch out for her. It's the only way she can go," Buffy tried to cover for her sister-in-law.

"Oh. I see."

"You know, Buffy, you and Zachary could go see a separate movie than the one that Kathy and her friends are seeing," Angel suggested, "I'll stay with them."

"How does that sound, Champ?"

"I love that idea," Zachary beamed and everyone laughed.

* * *


	14. Chapter 13

* * *

Chapter Thirteen

* * *

Rupert, Joyce, and Caroline were sitting at the table in the small crowded café when Hank arrived. Joyce and Rupert had asked Wesley and Willow to watch Malissa for them. The women and Rupert were already eating, so Hank ordered his food and then went to sit down after receiving it from the person working the counter. "Ladies, Rupert," he nodded to the three occupants of the table. He was surprised to see his wife because she and his son had been missing for the past several months, "I've missed you and Zachary, Caroline."

"We've missed you too, Hank. But something has to give. You've changed, and we can't allow you to see the children until you get yourself under control."

If they expected a violent reaction, they were surprised.

"I know." Hank hung his head, "I saw the security tape. I know what I did to Buffy, even though I don't **remember** doing it, I saw that I was the one who did it. I don't know what happened."

"Hank, do you remember defending your actions and then blaming Angel for hurting Buffy?"

"I remember blaming Angel, but I don't remember defending my actions."

"You told me that you found them in bed together and that she was engaged to Riley."

"I know that I thought that she and Riley were engaged. Riley came by and asked for her hand, and I told him he had my blessing, so I assumed that she had said yes."

"He didn't ask her because when he saw her, she was already engaged to Angel and she was happy. He said that her happiness was the most important thing. And Angel is the man in Buffy's 'Wedding Dream'.

Hank smiled. He could still remember an excited six-year-old Buffy bouncing down the stairs as she told her mom the details of her latest dream. How did it get to this? "If I had been myself, I bet I would have learned that. And her happiness is what's important here. And I'm sorry for what I did. And I'm scared. I don't know if I will do it again or not. I need to be locked up. When I saw that video I told that to the police – and they agreed," he added ruefully. "But they said nothing could be done unless Buffy pressed charges. I'm surprised she didn't; if I were her fiancé I'd have insisted."

"I think that once you meet them when you are yourself, you will like him and his family," Caroline said.

"But they think I'm some monster. And I am. I mean I broke my own daughter's arm. What kind of man does that? Not a real man that's for sure. Have I ever hurt any of you or Dawn or Zachary?"

"You slapped me," Caroline told him. "I took Zachary and left before it could escalate to more."

"I'm so sorry and I know that I can't make it up to you and I don't deserve forgiveness for any of this," Hank was seeming like his old self to everyone at the table it broke their heart to see him so broken up about what he did. He genuinely seemed like he didn't know what he was doing when he hurt Buffy. And if he wasn't in control of himself, if something was physically wrong, then it wasn't really his fault.

Caroline spoke up, "Hank, I've been doing some research and I think there might a reason for this change and your blackouts. I know that you started to have blackouts before I left. You tried to cover them up, but thinking back, I think that your increased work hours may have been a cover up for some blackouts?" Hank nodded. Yes, he had lied to his wife about where he was because he didn't know where he had been and he was ashamed to admit it.

Caroline continued, "There are some physical conditions that doctors say can alter your personality and cause blackouts." She paused as she, Joyce and Rupert saw the stunned, but doubtful look on Hank's face then she persisted, "Hank, we, **all** of us, want you to see a doctor. Get checked out and if nothing's wrong," she took a deep breath, "You're going to have to complete Anger Management classes and get some counseling. When a counselor says that you have your anger under control, then Zachary and I will move back in and you can see Dawn again. We can't speak for Buffy though. She's an adult now and makes her own decisions, but from what she's told me she will see you again if a professional says that you're safe to be around again."

"Caroline,…Joyce, I would do anything and everything to see my family again, but…" Hank looked down and sadly said, "I've been fired. Apparently, a few days before I hurt Buffy, I hit an employee who was late to work and I was fired. I have no insurance. If we can find some place that will treat me with no insurance and work with me on payments…."

"It won't be necessary, Hank. Buffy and Angel have offered to pay for the best doctors, counselors... whatever you need to get well," Rupert said. He wasn't supposed to get involved in the conversation unless Hank got out control and tried to hurt one of the ladies, but damnit, Hank was his friend too.

"I can't take charity from my own daughter. Especially after I hurt her," Hank said sadly.

"It's not charity. It's love, Hank. We all love you and the kids want to see you, but they're afraid. And we want to get that fixed. And if it means that you have to let them pay for it, then **damnit! Do it!" **Instead of raising her voice, Joyce hissed the last part across the table, afraid that the other patrons would overhear their conversation. "You can pay them back if it makes you feel better. 'Cause as things are now, Buffy says she won't see you again if you don't get help and Dawn won't be left alone with you either. Either me or Rupert will be with you at all times, if I have to go to court, that will mean that a court appointed chaperone will be there at all times. **Is that what you want?!**"

"I'll make an appointment first thing Monday morning." Hank then thought of something, "What if something is wrong?"

Caroline answered patiently even though she felt that they had already covered that. She just thought that he didn't remember because of whatever was making him sick, "Then we get you treatment for whatever is wrong and when the doctor feels that you are no longer a danger to Zachary, then we will move back in. And you will be able to see Dawn again and I'm sure that Buffy would like to see you too, but that's up to her."

Joyce looked at her ex and said, "Hank, right now, just go see the doctor, get a full physical and a full body x-ray. Angel has a friend whose father is a doctor and he has already agreed to examine you. All we have to do is give him a call and he will meet us at his office here in Sunnydale as a special favor to Angel."

"I'm sorry for the things that I have done or said that have hurt you and our children." Hank said to the two women and the man sitting at the table.

* * *

The first time that Kathy asked Angel to take her and Dawn to the movies, he sat with them. But these past few times, Kathy had asked if he could sit in the back – away from them. Today, she looked at her friends who had been so understanding of her fear of being kidnapped again, and back at her brother, "Angel, do you think it would be okay if I go in the theatre by myself? You could go in with Buffy and Zachary and I have my cell if I need you."

Angel looked at his sister with pride and hugged her, "Sure. I'll keep my phone on vibrate. Just call or text and I'll be here in a second." Angel went back and bought another ticket for the movie that Buffy and Zachary was seeing. He would hold onto the other ticket just in case.

After Angel left, Roger spoke up, "Kathy, you know it's alright with us if he stays. We know that he makes you feel safe and that's what's important."

"I know. But I think I'm ready. And if I get nervous, he said I could text him and he will come in a second," Kathy said with a smile on her face. Her friends had been helping her in ways that they didn't even know about. And when she thought about it, she had Buffy and Angel to thank for it. 'Cause if Angel had never met Buffy, she would have never met Dawn and then she would still feel unsafe in public places without Angel or her parents.

* * *

Buffy, Angel, and Zachary's movie ended before the teenager's movie and they were in the arcade area where Zachary was kicking Angel's butt on a video game.

"You're so sweet," Buffy told her husband once Zachary was out of earshot. Angel looked at her, confused. "Letting my brother win this one," she explained. "He was kind of bummed after losing that one, you know, with the plastic pistols."

"Deep Space Rangers," Angel told her, then shrugged. "The important part is that he has fun." He hoped he wasn't blushing, because he'd been really trying to win that last game. But Zachary was better, no doubt from so much practice on his gameboy whereas it'd been Angel's first time at it.

"Hey, Angel!" The little boy was pointing to yet another game. "Wanna try it?"

"Remember, keyword is 'sweet'," he whispered to Buffy before following Zachary to the Master Monsters console. He didn't tell her he'd never in his life seen that game before.

* * *

As the young teenagers were walking out the movie theatre room, Kathy asked her friends, "Is everyone going to the Engagement Ball this coming Friday?"

"I am," Dawn answered.

"My mom said I could go, too," Janice said.

Bob informed his friends, "I'm going with Dawn."

"I'm taking Janice," Mitch was proud of the fact that he was going on his first "date".

"What about you, Roger?" Kathy asked.

"If I can find a date, I'll go," then, without giving anyone the chance to say anything, he asked, "Will you be my date, Kathy?"

Kathy grinned, "I was hoping you'd ask."

"That's a yes, right?"

Kathy laughed a good heart filled laugh and said, "Yes, I'll be your date. If didn't you ask me I was going to ask you."

Dawn smiled. In the last few months, Kathy had become an almost-sister for her, so it was great to see how she was fitting in with her friends. It was even better than having a best friend, since Dawn believed no one could replace Janice; but it felt like she and Kathy had a special bond, much closer than the one she'd had with Janice ever since she moved to Sunnydale. Maybe it was because their siblings were marrying each other in a few months. Janice and the others never minded when Angel and/or Buffy would come along with them. Matter of fact Janice and the others seemed to like it better when they did come along. They had a car and they never acted as chaperones but more like kids themselves and a driver. Everyone was proud of Kathy today, but if Kathy didn't treat it as a big deal, neither would they. They wouldn't embarrass her like that. And now Kathy even had a date to the Engagement Ball.

The teens saw Angel and Zachary playing a video game. Buffy was watching them, laughing. They walked up to them and Dawn said, "Hi!"

"Hey. I think they're almost done," Buffy said.

"You kicked my butt again," Angel said, acting as if he was upset. He wasn't, even though he had tried his best. The game wasn't about winning, it was about having fun and both of them had fun. Zachary giggled and started to tell Angel how he had beaten him and what Angel could do to improve his game next time.

Dawn grinned at her two brothers -- yes she already considered Angel her brother since Buffy was living with him. Then she made a bug introduction gesture and announced, "Kathy has a date!"

Angel grinned and looked at his sister, "What?"

"I asked her to your Engagement Ball, if that's okay," Roger said apprehensively.

Angel looked at him, surprised that he was asking permission, "Of course it's okay. I'm glad that she will have friends there," Angel said. *_Besides, I'm going to be there and so will Mom and Dad*._

"So all of us girls going to get ready together?" Buffy asked her sisters and Janice. "You all could come with me and Willow to get our nails, make-up and hair done."

"Sure," Janice said while the two girls just nodded their heads.

* * *

Dr. Brolin, Matthew's father, was looking over Hank's x-rays and waiting on his tech to finish up the blood work. The x-rays did not have good news. After looking at the blood work, Dr. Brloin walked in to see his patient and his three guests. "Well, I wish I had better news. But I think that I know why you've been having violent episodes and blacking out. And even though you haven't said anything, I'm guessing you have headaches as well?" Hank nodded. Dr. Brolin took a deep breath. He had been a doctor for thirty years and he never got used to giving this kind of news and he never knew how to say it gently either. "I'm just going to tell you how it is. I'm not going to sugar coat it, and I'm not going to lie to make you feel better. I've been told that while I'm one of the best in my field, I don't have any bedside manner and for that, I'm sorry. But what I found is serious." He paused to let what he said sink in. "There's a tumor on your brain. I have removed tumors successfully before. The patients whose surgeries were successful have gone on to live normal lives just a few months after the surgery. I do believe right now, that I can remove this tumor successfully."

Hank felt it as Caroline tightened her hand around his. "How soon can you do this and how soon will it be before I'm safe enough for my children to be around?"

"The good thing, Mr. Summers, is we caught it early. If you had waited another year, we wouldn't be able to do anything. It would be too big to remove. However, if you had come to me when you first started having headaches and blackouts, recovery would be quicker. But as soon as the tumor is removed, you should stop having violent outbursts -- if the tumor **is** the cause of the violent behavior." The truth was, nobody could be sure whether a surgery would solve Mr. Summers' psychological problems until after the recovery period. "I can't say with certainty that the tumor is the cause of the blackouts. I can only say that **sometimes **a tumor can cause violent behavior, personality changes, and blackouts, but not always. I'd advise you to go through counseling and Anger Management courses; it's best to cover all bases." He waited until he saw his patient nod in agreement. "It's a good sign that you are seeking help," he said, trying to sound as encouraging as possible. "It means that you wish to change. As far as how quick we can do the surgery? I want to admit you now and get you prepped for surgery. As soon as there is an O.R. available, I'll remove the tumor."

"We'll follow you to the hospital," Caroline said. Joyce and Rupert offered instantly to give them a ride.

"I called the hospital already and they are expecting you."

* * *

Buffy cell phone rang, "Hello…Okay, we'll be there shortly." She turned to the passengers in the car and said, "That was Mom. They're going to admit Dad to the hospital and surgery as soon as possible."

"What's wrong with Daddy?" Zachary asked.

"He has something on his brain that makes him mean and then he forgets about it. They're going to take it off his brain so he will be our nice Daddy again," Buffy explained so that Zachary could understand. Luckily he was too young to know just how serious this was.

"Okay," Zachary said grateful for the honest answer. He hated it when he was told he was too young to understand things.

Angel noticed how Buffy was wringing her hands in her lap. "You want me to drop you and Dawn off at the hospital before I take the others home? Zachary can stay with me and we'll come to the hospital as soon as the others are home."

Buffy looked at her husband and said, "Yeah, we need to be there."

"We can be there for Dawn," Janice said. She'd seen how pale Dawn had gotten once her sister delivered the news. Janice had known Dawn for a long time; she was aware of how much her friend loved her father even despite the distance.

"Yeah, she was there for us when Mom and Dad were missing," Kathy remembered, reaching for her friend.

"We can call our moms to come get us when it gets too late," Roger suggested. "I'm sure they'll understand."

Then Janice took out her phone and called her mom. She explained what was going on and her mom agreed to come get her, Mitch, Bob, and Roger when it got late. Then the others called their parents so that they wouldn't worry. "Thank you," Bob gave Janice her cell phone. His battery had died during the movie. "Dad said he was proud of me," he told the others.

Roger smiled, "Mine too."

"You are true friends," Dawn told them, touched at their behavior. Only Kathy and Janice knew how tense she really was, her hands too tight around theirs.

* * *

Hours later, the waiting room was full of slumbering people waiting for the surgery's result.

Dawn was asleep with her head in Joyce's lap and her feet in Bob's lap. Buffy had dozed off, resting fully on Angel's shoulder. Kathy's head was in Angel's lap and her feet in Roger's lap. Meanwhile Buffy's lap acted as Janice's pillow and the teenager's feet rested on Mitch's lap. Bob, Roger, and Mitch had leaned their heads against the wall and were dozing as well.

Zachary was asleep in Caroline's lap. Joyce had put her head on Rupert's shoulder, but she was still awake. In fact, the only ones beside her were her husband, Caroline and Angel. Angel had gone to the gift shop and bought a book to read. So he was engrossed in another world while waiting to see how his father-in-law was doing. He had bought stuff for the others to do and read as well. Patty had brought Kathy's portable video games, so that the teenagers would have something to do. She also had brought Zachary's gameboy. But everyone had played, read, and talked themselves to sleep.

That was how Dr. Brolin found them when he came out to tell them of the progress. When Caroline noticed the doctor coming toward them, she started to get up. "You can stay seated. You have your hands full," Dr. Brolin said softly. He didn't mean to wake everyone up, but his voice roused them. Zachary was the only one who stayed asleep. "I was able to remove all of the tumor. Mr. Summers is in recovery now. He will be asleep for a few more hours and he will have stay here for a few days just so we can make sure that there won't be any complications."

Everyone smiled and let out breath of relief, "Thank you, Dr. Brolin," Angel said.

* * *

"Hey, Dad," Buffy said as she walked into his hospital room.

"Buffy. Hey! I was afraid that you would never want to see me again."

"You were sick, now you're better and it won't happen again, so I want to see you."

"I'm sorry for what I did to you."

"Dad, we're not going to talk about it anymore because the past is past. You're forgiven because it wasn't your fault and you're sorry for it. So that's that. Forgiven and forgotten." Buffy smiled, then she waved at someone to step in. "I know that technically you've met but let's do this right. Dad, this is Angel MacKenzie, my fiancée. Angel this is my dad, Hank Summers."

"Please to meet you, Mr. MacKenzie and I'm sorry for whatever I might have said or done to you."

"Call me Angel, and like Buffy said, forgiven and forgotten. It's nice to meet the real you, Mr. Summers."

"Please call me Hank if you're going to marry my daughter," Hank smiled.

* * *


	15. Chapter 14

* * *

Chapter Fourteen

* * *

Buffy and Willow took Kathy, Dawn, and Janice shopping for accessories for the Engagement Ball a few days after Hank's operatin.

The day of the ball was a busy day. Darla, Dru, Buffy, Willow, Kathy, Dawn, and Janice all got facials, manicures and had their hair done during the day.

Buffy's dress was a red spaghetti strap straight dress that went to her ankles. There were claddaghs embroidered on the red satin. Buffy had it specially made for tonight, and had designed it herself. She'd added a matching wrap of the same material; it bore a claddagh on the back with the date of the AIDS Awareness Ball. It was a beautiful dress, if she dared say so herself, and she was doubly proud since she'd used the money from waiting on tables to have it made.

She still couldn't get used to not having to worry to about the price of things, so, while Angel was surprised that her dress had only cost a couple hundred dollars, Buffy was horrified that it had cost that much. Caroline had reassured her that the price had been fair, and Buffy had been sorry she hadn't found out that her stepmother was a professional seamstress until after she'd hired someone else for the job. "How could you have known, Buffy?" Caroline had laughed, "All these years your father took good care of us; I only used it as a hobby."

Angel was stunned at what his wife was wearing when she came down the stairs where he and the dates of the other ladies were waiting. "I really need to find another word for gorgeous, but I can't think of anything else that fits right now. Buffy, Mo Grà, you are gorgeous in that gown."

Buffy grinned, "Thanks."

Angel noticed the claddaghs embroidered on the dress and asked, "Where did you find a dress with claddaghs on it?"

Buffy looked down, embarrassed, "I told the seamstress what I wanted and she drew the picture until it was exactly what I wanted and then she made it."

Angel looked shocked, "**You** designed it?"

"Well, uh… I can't draw, so the seamstress had to draw the picture, so I don't think I can say that I designed it all by my self."

"I think you can and it's absolutely stunning, Buffy. I think you could probably make a carrier out of it if you wanted to."

"Oh no, I can't sew. Caroline tried to teach me when I was in high school and I just couldn't do it."

Angel smiled and said, "We can find someone who can sew for you to work with. That is if you want to design clothes."

"Angel, I'm a freshman in collage. Let me think about it for a while, okay?" Buffy smiled.

"Okay," he said and then kissed his wife.

* * *

Everyone who went to the Engagement Ball had enjoyed themselves. The first dance was for Buffy and Angel and they danced to _Lady_ by Styx. After that song was over, Buffy noticed her father walking in. She smiled as he came directly towards her, "The doctor said I could have one dance with my daughter and then I had to sit down for the rest of the night."

The D.J. picked _Daddy__'__s Little Girl_ by Dean Martin for this special father/daughter dance.

The rest of the ball was for everyone to dance and have fun. And have fun they did. People's Magazine had a picture of Buffy and Angel dancing to _Lady_ on half of the front cover and the other half was a picture of Hank and Buffy dancing to their one song and inside was a recap of the Ball. What the famous women were wearing and even what some of the unknown women were wearing and who they were wearing. They also mentioned that Hank had a brain tumor removed the weekend before and had made a surprise appearance. There was no mention of his violent outburst. None of the press knew about that. Other magazines that kept up with the lifestyles of the rich and famous also had pictures of the ball and a recap of it.

* * *

A few months later, June third was finally here. Buffy had the traditional white wedding dress this time. It was made of chiffon and satin, a short sleeve tight bodice with a sweetheart neckline and a billowing skirt. The skirt was not quite as big as an Antebellum dress, but it was close. It was floor length and had three tears of material where it looked as if part of it was pulled up and tied with a bow all the around the bottom of the skirt starting about midway down.

The women in the wedding party wore simple red satin dresses, with a tight bodice and a gathered skirt that was T-length. Willow was maid of honor, Darla and Dru served as bridesmaids. Dawn and Kathy both were junior bridesmaids, and the only difference between them and the older women was that the teenagers wore flower wreaths in their hair while the bridesmaids had white gold round head pieces. Spike was Angel's best man again. Doyle and Gunn were the two groomsmen that walked Dru and Darla down the aisle. Xander and the other Alpha Kappa Lambda members acted as ushers and showed the guest to their seats. Of course, as he'd promised so many months ago, Xander's mission was to lit the candles once it was time to start the wedding.

One of Buffy's cousins was the flower girl and Zachary was the ring bearer. Buffy had asked Hank and Caroline to sing some songs for her wedding. She had always liked their singing voices and thought that together, they made a wonderful duet. They both had felt honored that she would ask them to sing for her wedding. The song to which the bridesmaids, groomsmen, junior bridesmaids, and the two children walked toward the altar was _Pocabell__'__s Cannon_ in D. Hank and Caroline sang _Sun Rise, Sun Set_, from Fiddler On The Roof as Giles and Buffy slowly walked down the isle. Hank watched the scene fondly, seeing everywhere bits and pieces of the dream a much younger Buffy had often shared with her parents. He had known that he would not walk her down the isle. After all that had happened this past year, he didn't feel worthy enough to take that place. He was honored that she had asked him to be apart of the ceremony at all.

Since Buffy and Angel had the traditional vows in Los Vegas, they decided to write their own vows this time.

"Buffy, in the time that I have known you, you have made my life more full. You have given my life meaning whereas before there was none. I was like a drifting boat in the ocean with no direction. You give me direction now. You are my lighthouse. You keep me from drifting onto the rocks at night when I cannot see where I'm going. I love you and I vow to you to be faithful to you, to protect you with my life, and to love you with all of heart for all of my days. Everything that I have is now yours."

"Angel, you are the man of my dreams. My knight in shining armor. My Prince Charming. I cannot imagine spending my life with someone more loving and caring as you. I vow to be faithful to you, to protect you with my life and to love you with all of my heart for the rest of my days. Everything that I have is now yours."

During short times of reflection, Hank and Caroline sand _Parent's Prayer_ Steven Curtis Chapman's arrangement_, A Song For My Daughter _the arrangement by Ray Allaire_, _and Tim McGraw and Faith Hill's arrangement of _Daddy's Little Girl!_.

Angel had wanted to give Buffy a new wedding ring, but she loved the symbolism of the Claddagh and told him that she would rather just use the Claddagh as their wedding rings. And he couldn't deny her what she wanted.

* * *

Lorne had been asked to be the D.J. and he readily agreed to do what he loved to do best. During the reception, he played the following songs: _Our Prayer_ by Josh Groban & Charlotte Church, _My Little Girl_ by Dean Martin, _Stealing Cinderella _by Chad Wicks, _You Don't Have To Let Go _by Jessica Simpson _That Kind Of Love_ by Alison Krauss, _Take My Breath Away_ from the Top Gun Soundtrack, and _Don't Know Much_ by Aaron Neville. The Bride/Groom dance was _Storybook Love_ from the Princess Bride Soundtrack. Buffy and Hank danced to _My Little Girl_ by Steve Kirrwan. Buffy and Giles danced to _Cinderella _by Steven Curtis Chapman. Angel and Patty danced to _Mama_ by Boys 2 Men. Love songs played for dancing were _No Air_ by Jordan Sparks, _Lady_ by Styx, _Total Eclipse Of The Heart_ by Bonnie Tyler, _Sugar Water _by Cibo Matto, _All I Ask Of You_ from The Phantom of the Opera Soundtrack, _The Music Of The Night _from The Phantom Of The Opera Soundtrack, _When You Love Someone_ by Brian Adams, _When A Man Loves A Woman_ by Marvin Gray, _Don't Wanna Miss A Thing_ by Airosmith, _It's Your Love_ by Faith Hill and Tim McGraw, _Always_ by Atlantic Star, _In Your Eyes_ by Peter Gabriel, _You and I_ by Eddie Rabbitt, Crystal Gayle, _When I see You Smile_ by Bad English, _The Gift_ by Jim Brickman, _Right Here Waiting _by Richard Marx, _I Will Always Love You _by Dolly Parton, _Endless Love_ by Mariah Carey and Luther Vandros, _We Close Our Eyes _by Susanna Hoffs, _Come Down To Me_ by Saving Jane, _Wild Horses_ by The Sundays, _The Rose_ by Bett Middler, _More Than Words_ by Extreme, _Can I have This Dance For The Rest Of My Life?_ by Anne Murray, _When I Look Into Your Eyes _by Journey,_ Open Arms _by Journey,_ Giving You The Rest Of My Life_ by Bebe & Cece Winans, _Now And Forever _by Air Supply and other songs as well. There were also some fast songs intermixed so that everyone could dance, even those who didn't have dates.

Willow caught the bride's bouquet and, in an unexpected coincidence, the garter that Angel threw landed straight into Wesley's hands.

* * *


	16. Chapter 15

* * *

Chapter Fifteen

* * *

Buffy and Angel returned from their honeymoon to Ireland a month later on July third. They were home in time for Independence Day. They took their friends out to see the fireworks that Sunnydale put on for the celebration of the nation's birthday. As they were walking back to the car, Darla said, "Oh shit!"

Everyone turned to her to see her eyes filled with horror, "What is it, Darla?" Buffy asked.

"I think my water just broke."

"Now?!" Angel asked.

Buffy slapped her husband's upper arm and said, "She doesn't get to choose when this happens, duffus. We just have to get her to the hospital, **now!**"

* * *

Darla had a son about an hour and half later. He weighed eight pounds five ounces and was twenty two and half inches long. Darla, Buffy, and Angel had decide to name the baby Connor Liam MacKenzie. Darla had said that she would not breast feed. Buffy and Angel were only mildly disappointed about that. While they believed that it was best, they didn't want to push Darla to do something she was uncomfortable with and Darla was definitely uncomfortable breastfeeding. Besides, this gave them a chance to feed Connor and it also meant that Connor could sleep in their room when Darla didn't want to get up with him.

When they brought Connor home, the three of them decided that Darla would take care of Connor during the day and Angel and Buffy would have him at night in their room. Angel and Buffy took turns getting up in the night to feed him and most of the time, he just slept on Buffy or Angel's chest in their bed with them.

* * *

A couple of weeks after, Professor Holtz came to the mansion looking for Darla. His wife had taken their kids and left him. He blamed Darla for admitting to an affair with him when Mrs. Holtz had asked her about it. Since it was her fault he'd lost his family, he was going to claim Darla's baby as his.

Angel, Buffy, and Darla got the professor to agree to a paternity test. The doctor once again confirmed that Angel was Connor's father with a ninety-nine percent probability. Professor Holtz's test came back as zero percent chance that he was the baby's father. The older man crumpled the sheet of paper in his fist, and in a moment of distraction, grabbed the carseat carrier with Connor in it and took off running. Connor started to cry and the professor pressed his pace as he heard the three parents and the doctor run after him.

Darla cornered him in an empty operating room. He somehow had gotten Connor out of the car seat and was holding him trying to get him to shut up. "He's not yours," Darla cried out, but he didn't seem to be listening. Holtz looked around the room and his eyes lit up when he discovered a forgotten surgery tray. He grabbed one of the scalpels and wielded it against the woman before rushing against her.

Darla thought for a second that she could do it, could avoid the weapon and grasp at her baby at the same time. She miscalculated. A sharp pain started at her chest, close to her heart, and she fell to the floor. She could still hear Connor's cries in the background, Buffy's pleading voice, too. But when she opened her eyes it was Angel kneeling before her. "Take care of our son," she said with her last breath.

"I will," Angel promised as the life went out of Darla's eyes. Angel looked up to see Buffy talking to Holtz. He couldn't hear what they saying but he also saw police coming up behind Holtz. He heard Holtz roar, "You come any closer and I'll snap his neck."

Buffy froze. "Just please give me Connor. He's crying. He's scared. He needs to be held by someone he knows. Please, I know you're upset. But…" As she was talking, Buffy moved forward and she was close to Holtz now, reaching out for her son. Holtz had been so disoriented by Connor's cries and Buffy's words that he didn't fulfill his threat. Holtz finally realized how close she was and took a step back.

A gun went off.

For a moment it looked like Holtz and Buffy were hugging, then Holtz fell to the floor and Angel was right behind Buffy. She turned into his chest crying, holding Connor close to her. When Connor heard Buffy's heartbeat, he stopped crying. "Buffy? Are you alright?" Angel asked, concerned that the bullet might have gone through Holtz and into Buffy.

"I'm fine, Angel."

"Connor?"

"Connor's fine. He's safe."

"Thank God. For a minute there I thought I had lost you."

Buffy looked around and saw that Darla was missing, "Where's Darla?"

Angel looked at her with tears in his eyes, "He killed her."

"What?" Buffy asked not believing it, then she saw Darla's body halfway out of the room where Holtz had left the car seat. She pushed aside the grief of loosing a friend and said, "Oh, Angel, I'm so sorry. I know she was one of your best friends."

Angel just held his wife and his son close to him.

* * *

Angel found out from Lindsey that Dru had told Darla that she would not raise Connor, and Darla thought that she was going to die in childbirth. So she had made preparations. She didn't know if Buffy and Angel had signed a pre-nuptial agreement or not, so she had made a new will. Half of her estate would go to Connor and the other half would go to Buffy; if something happened, Buffy would have the means to take care of him. Buffy and Angel were to be put in charge of Connor's half of her estate. She had expressed in her will that she wanted Buffy to formally and legally adopt Connor Sean MacKenzie.

* * *

Buffy was the only "Mommy" that Connor had, but she and Angel made sure that Connor would know about Darla and her sacrifice for him to live with a loving family. They had pictures of her all over the house for Connor to look at and told him who she was. And they told him that she had loved him very much.

Angel and Buffy had to go to court for Buffy to adopt Connor, but that is another story…..

* * *

**_The End_**

* * *

**A/N: **If I get enough requests I might do a sequal to this story. Please review and leave feedback. The next "Chapter" is the lyrics to the song that insipred the plot.

Thanks,

{{{hugs}}}

Mac


	17. Brand New Girlfriend Lyrics

* * *

(Lyrics copied and pasted from .com/song-lyrics/Steve_Holy/Miscellaneous/Brand_New_)

* * *

**Brand New Girlfriend**

_By Steve Holy_

* * *

Verse: 1

* * *

She said, "I need sometime to find myself,  
I need a little space to think.  
Maybe we should start seeing other people.  
Baby, things are moving way to fast for me."  
So, I, I picked up what was left of my pride,  
And I put on my walking shoes,  
And I got up on that high road,  
And I did what any gentleman would do..  
I, um...

* * *

Chorus

* * *

I got a brand new girlfriend.  
We went and jumped off the deep end,  
Flew out to LA for the weekend,  
Spent the whole day, lyin' on the beach,  
Wearin' nothin' but a smile,  
Playin' kissy-kissy, smoochy-smoochy,  
Talkin' mooshy-mooshy bout nothin'.  
Man, I think I'm on to somethin',  
I feel just like a kid again.  
I got a brand new girlfriend.

* * *

Verse: 2

* * *

I love it when she calls me butter cup,  
Laughs and says i left the toilet seat up,  
She pops and tosses me a cold beer,  
And says my buddies always welcome here.  
When I get hungry, she takes me out.  
I ride the shotgun like a shitzu hound.  
My tails a waggin', my tounges hangin' out,  
It makes me wanna shout...

* * *

Chorus

* * *

Wooo...  
Cute, cute, cute...

She likes to write our names in the sand.  
She's hearing wedding bells and making plans.  
She's gonna hang around a while i guess.  
She hasn't even told me she loves me yet.

* * *

Chorus

* * *

She makes me feel just like a kid again,  
I gotta brand new girlfriend.

* * *


End file.
